Lifetimes
by Julie Horwitz
Summary: My version of NeferTina's past. A sequel to Truth's Consequences and To Have and To Hold.
1. Default Chapter

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Disclaimer:

The following is a work of fanfiction. All characters and situations belonging to the animated television series "Mummies Alive!" are copyrighted to DIC Enterprises. Everything else, including original characters, is of my own creation.

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Author's Notes:

This story, "Lifetimes," is one of the most difficult things I have ever written. This is for two reasons. The first is that it is the darkest story I have ever created. It is, in essence, a tragedy. The background I have given to Nefer-Tina is a cruel one. This story details her life from the time she is a small child to when she becomes a guardian of the prince at age eighteen.The second reason was because of the circumstances in my own life during the writing. I started working on this story in early 2004. In February, my father entered the hospital. He was in and out until his death in early May. Writing this piece gave me something to focus on while my entire life fell apart around me. I think he would be proud that I never gave up until it was finished. It is to him that this story is dedicated.The story itself is both a sequel and prequel to my other work. The frame story takes place three years after "To Have and To Hold," the mini-sequel to "Truth's Consequences." The main body takes place thirty-five hundred years ago in Ancient Egypt. It is strongly recommended that you have read both other stories before reading this one.I remind the reader that I do not write from a historically accurate perspective. I try to be as true to the cartoon's portrayal of Ancient Egypt as possible while taking creative license as well. As with my previous MA! stories, there are some researched elements, but not many. Please keep this in mind while reading so any historical errors do not take away from your enjoyment of the story.This story contains violence, adult content, and sexual situations. There is also a scene of graphic rape. It is not recommended for younger readers.All questions and comments may be sent to me at:  
Thank you and I hope you enjoy the story.

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Dedication:  
In memory of my father, Arthur H. Horwitz (1946-2004). He always believed in my abilities as a writer. You are sorely missed.

** _ Lifetimes _ **  
by  
Julie Horwitz

Nefer-Tina sat on the covered bench by her bedroom window as she watched the snow fall outside. Even after three years, she still found the sight mesmerizing. There was just _something_ about seeing the world blanketed in pure white. It was so beautiful. She didn't think she'd ever grow tired of it. Maybe it was because of how much it reminded her of the sands of home...

"Nefer-Tina?" a soft voice called from behind her.

She twisted around to see her husband emerging from the bathroom, still damp from his shower.

"Hi," she smiled, rising to her feet. She found it sweet that he still announced himself whenever he entered a room where she was alone. Not that she needed him to anymore. Three years of marriage and intimacy had cured her of her fear and unease.

Three years of _Ja-Kal_ had cured her.

"So, do you feel clean now?" she teased as she walked towards him.

Ja-Kal laughed. "For the moment." He gave her a playful smile. "Though there's no telling how long that's going to last."

She folded her arms in mock annoyance as she reached him. "Are you trying to accuse me of making you dirty?"

"Who's trying?" he retorted, pulling her into his arms. "We both know you're guilty beyond a reasonable doubt."

"Do you have any evidence to support these outrageous charges, Officer?" she shot back, struggling to keep a straight face. She loved using terms from his job as part of their play fighting. She draped her arms around his neck. "Or are you just going to arrest me?"

"I'm bringing you in," he announced without hesitation. "We can't leave repeat offenders out on the street, now can we?"

"Well, that settles it then," she agreed. "I'm just going to have to resist arrest."

"Don't even try it," he warned, starting to lose his composure. "I'd have to get rough with you."

"Oh, rough me up, Baby," she grinned. "You know you want to."

With that, they both began to laugh.

"I love you," he finally managed as their laughter subsided.

"I love you too," she echoed.

Without another word, he drew her into a kiss.

Nefer-Tina loved it when he kissed her. The feelings it brought to life in her were beyond description. (Only their lovemaking surpassed it.) Gods, how she loved him.

When he finally released her, she leaned against him blissfully.

"You're too good to me," she murmured.

He began to gently stroke her back. "Not at all," he protested. "You deserve the best of everything, my love."

She smiled at that. Some things would never change. After all these years, Ja-Kal still felt that he had to "make up" to her for her tragic past even though he'd had nothing to do with it. She'd given up trying to convince him otherwise years ago. He was the most stubborn man she'd ever met. So, she'd just decided to let him believe whatever he wanted if it made him happy.

"So, where were we?"

"I think I was about to arrest you," he said.

"Really?" she questioned playfully. "I seem to recall something about resisting arrest."

"Now I remember," he declared. "I was warning you that I'd have to get rough."

She gently broke out of his embrace and began backing away. "That's only if you can catch me first."

"As our prince would say, you call that a challenge?" With that, he lunged for her.

Nefer-Tina shrieked and started running for the bed.

Ja-Kal easily caught her and the two of them tumbled down onto the mattress amid peals of laughter.

He maneuvered her flat onto her back and pinned her there between his legs. Then he began to assault her with kisses.

She didn't even try to resist.

His kisses quickly turned from playful to passionate and then to something more. She became aroused almost instantaneously and she was sure he was experiencing the same thing.

He momentarily stopped kissing her. "Is this rough enough for you?"

She tried to laugh but she was breathing too hard.

He brought a hand up to her face and caressed her cheek. "I love you so much."

"I love you too," she managed to respond.

He kissed her again, softly this time.

"You're the best thing that ever happened to me," he told her.

_And you're the only good thing that's ever happened to me,_ she silently responded. She had to be so careful with what she said around him. Almost anything could trigger his misplaced guilt. She'd learned the hard way over the years. Aloud, she said, "Thank you."

Ja-Kal smiled down at her. He ran his hand from her cheek down onto her chest. He slid it towards where she had left the top button of her nightgown undone.

He then began to make love to her...

((((())))))

Nefer-Tina laid contentedly in her husband's warm embrace. The lovemaking, as always, had been exquisite. Ja-Kal knew every inch of her body and used that knowledge to completely pleasure her. No woman could ask for a more competent lover or a more considerate husband. There were no words that could describe the depth of her love for him.

As she had been doing more and more lately, she marveled at how, well, _normal_ her life, or more accurately, her afterlife, had become. She was married to the most wonderful man in the world and lived in a beautiful home. She had a fascinating job that she absolutely adored and had a very close circle of friends. All of her experiences in San Francisco felt like they had happened a lifetime ago. And she prayed to the gods almost daily that they would stay that way.

She loved the life she lived now. She dreaded the day that Scarab would find them and destroy everything they had worked so hard to create. There had been no news of his legal battle in almost a year and she did not know what that meant. Although Amanda often told them that no news was good news, there was no certainty where Scarab was concerned. For all she knew, he could have already found them and just be waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

She shook that thought from her head. Scarab wasn't the type to wait for anything. If he had discovered them, they'd already know it.

Her musings momentarily vanished as Ja-Kal kissed her neck and pulled her closer against him.

She smiled at the simple act of affection.

It was _this_ that she couldn't bear to lose. In the three years since they had arrived here, she and Ja-Kal had created a new life together. It was a wonderful and peaceful life full of joy and love. There was no constant danger or running. She was happier than she had ever dreamed. Scarab's return would mean the end of that happiness and she didn't know if she could survive another devastating loss.

Yet, it was that first loss that had made all this possible. If not for their dying that fateful day back in Egypt, Ja-Kal would never have come to know her as a woman. She would have forever been his male friend "Nefer", the charioteer and fellow guardian. He would have remained married to Tia and she would have been alone forever, her heart aching for the love she would never know.

She had only one regret about the path her life had taken: the loss of any chance of ever having a family.

Ironically, before she had fallen in love with Ja-Kal, she'd never had the desire to marry or have children. Her only goals had been to ride the chariot and remain on her family's farm. Of course, both of those had been quashed the day Genubath had taken her away from the only life she had ever known...

The moment she had laid eyes on Ja-Kal, everything had changed. She had no longer cared about chariots or music. She had only wanted to meet him despite the impossibility. To _touch_ him...

She'd begun imagining what life would be like if she married him. She'd created a fantasy world where he was her husband and she was the mother of beautiful and happy children. And she'd held on to that fantasy even after she'd been raped and banished. It had been the one thing that kept her going during that horrible time.

And now, here she was, married to him and living the life she had only dreamed about. The only thing missing from the fantasy-turned-reality was the children. But they were impossible now. Dying had seen to that.

She sighed. There was no point in dwelling over things that couldn't be changed. What had happened had happened.

Ja-Kal moved in his sleep and returned her thoughts to the present.

She was grateful for what she did have. Ja-Kal's love was truly all she needed.

As she closed her eyes, she thought about how far she'd come over the years. And of how much she had changed. She was no longer the little girl who only wanted to play...

((((())))))

"Mama," Nefer-Tina said, tugging on her mother's skirt, "play. Mama, play!"

The three-year-old had found Mama after sneaking away from Enehy, the big person Mama always left her with during the day. Nefer-Tina liked Enehy, but she never played with her like Mama did. (Whenever she asked Enehy to play, Enehy just told her to play with the other children. Enehy knew that they were mean to her. Why would she think she'd play with them?) So when Enehy had started talking to the new big person through the window, Nefer-Tina had seen her chance to go and find Mama, who she knew would play with her and wouldn't be mean.

"Karem," one of the big people with Mama said. "I think someone needs you."

Mama finally looked down.

"Nefer-Tina!" she exclaimed. "How did you get in here, little one? Where's Enehy?"

"Play!" Nefer-Tina demanded, holding out her arms. "Play, Mama! Play!"

Mama just shook her head. "Oh, what am I going to do with you?" she sighed as she knelt down to pick Nefer-Tina up.

"Play!" Nefer-Tina urged. Now Mama would play with her. Mama was more fun than those mean people she had left in the other room. _She_ wouldn't push her or hide toys from her.

"Mama can't play right now," Mama told her. "Mama has chores to do."

"No chores," Nefer-Tina insisted. "Play with me!"

Mama laughed. "I wish I could, Sweetheart." She began to walk with her. "Bunefer, would you mind?"

"Not at all," the big person Nefer-Tina knew as Bunefer said. "I'll take her back to Enehy."

"No go!" Nefer-Tina cried. She didn't want to go back there. She hated it there! The other children were so mean! "Want Mama to play. Play Mama!"

"You can play with Tutu and the others," Mama told her.

"No!" Nefer-Tina pleaded. Why didn't anyone know how mean they were? Why didn't Mama? "Want Mama!"

"Sorry, little one," Mama said. "You be a good girl and go with Bunefer now."

Nefer-Tina tried to cling to her mother, but Mama was much stronger than she was and easily passed her into Bunefer's arms.

"Mama!" Nefer-Tina cried, tears starting to well up. Why didn't Mama want to play? Didn't Mama love her? "Mama!"

"Hush now," Mama said. "Be a good girl for me."

"Mama!" she repeated, not understanding why Mama was being mean to her. "Play, Mama!"

Mama came over to her and gave her a kiss. "Later, my darling. Don't you cry. Mama will play with you later."

"Now," the girl tried again, the tears rolling down her cheeks. "Mama..."

Mama kissed her again. "Tonight, sweet one." She stepped away from her. "Bunefer."

"Mama!" Nefer-Tina sobbed. "Mama!" Why didn't Mama love her anymore?

She continued crying as Bunefer carried her back to Enehy.

((((())))))

"I can't believe Enehy was that irresponsible," Karem complained as she watched Bunefer disappear with Nefer-Tina. "Where was she when my daughter just wandered out of the room?"

"Bunefer will tell us what happened when she gets back," Renefankh promised. "You know how she can get anything out of anybody."

"Truthfully, I don't care what happened," Karem confessed. "All I care about is the fact that she left my only child unsupervised. What in Ra's name was she thinking? My daughter could have gotten hurt!"

"You have to admit that this is unlike her," Maya pointed out. "She's usually so responsible."

"I'll bet you anything that Ishpi was involved," Aset, Maya's eldest daughter and a girl Karem didn't particularly care for, spoke up with a knowing tone in her voice. "There've been rumors."

"Rumors?" Karem repeated. "What rumors?"

Aset smiled. "That Ishpi and Enehy are... You know."

"And what exactly is it that we're supposed know?" Renefankh questioned.

She and Karem exchanged looks. Karem knew Renefankh shared her distaste for Aset. They'd both experienced first hand the girl's nastiness.

"You _know,_" Aset repeated, making a "come on" gesture with her hand.

"Obviously we don't know, Aset," her mother said. "Out with it."

"Yes, Mama," the girl said in a less-than-contrite tone. "People have said that they've seen Ishpi and Enehy, well, doing more than talking."

"So what?" Renefankh said. "Both of them are of marriable age. There's nothing wrong with public shows of affection."

"I'm not finished yet," Aset continued, sounding annoyed. "They've been kissing during work hours. For long periods of time."

"And your point is?" Karem interjected.

"My _point_ is that your precious Nefer-Tina probably got away while Enehy and Ishpi were engaged in a 'public show of affection'."

Despite her crudeness, Karem knew Aset had a point. Enehy was allowing her love life to affect her work. Her ways had to change before something much worse than a runaway child happened.

"I'll talk to her about it when I go to retrieve Nefer-Tina tonight," she assured Aset, who was smirking. "I'm sure she'll be more careful in the future."

She heaved a sigh. Life as the mistress of the house was much more tumultuous than she had ever thought it would be. If it wasn't one crisis, it was another. Nothing her mother had taught her had prepared her for the reality she was now living. How had her mother gotten through it and raised five children at the same time? She could barely handle one!

She sighed again as she resumed her task of making bread.

Nefer-Tina's unexpected appearance had rattled her a lot more than she had let on. And it had nothing to do with the fact that she had escaped from the play area. It was the fact that she had felt the _need_ to escape.

Why had her daughter come looking for her? Why hadn't she stayed with the other children? Why had she started crying the way she did when Bunefer was bringing her back?

Enehy had often expressed concern that Nefer-Tina did not play with the other children at all. She spent all of her time alone or trying to get Enehy to play with her. Enehy, of course, in an effort to get her to join her peers, always refused her. But Nefer-Tina never went near the others on her own. And when anyone asked her why, the little girl just said she didn't want to.

Karem and Rekhmire shared this concern for their daughter as well. Normally, Nefer-Tina was the friendliest and most bubbly little girl they ever had the pleasure of being around. She even ran up to strangers and demanded that they play with her. So why wouldn't she play with the children she spent all of her days with?

And now there was today's incident. Karem had a feeling deep in her gut that Enehy was not telling her something about the goings on between her child and the other children. Something very important. A happy child didn't cry out for her mother the way Nefer-Tina just had. What was going on?

She and Enehy were most definitely going to have a talk tonight.

((((())))))

Nefer-Tina sat in a corner and tried to stop crying. But knowing that Mama didn't love her anymore made it almost impossible.

_Why Mama?_ she despairingly asked herself. _Why no love me?_

She didn't understand what she had done wrong. She had just gone to Mama to play. Mama _always_ played with her. Why didn't she want to play today? What made Mama not love her anymore?

"Why are you back?" a familiar voice suddenly questioned her from behind.

Nefer-Tina wiped at her tears and tried to ignore Bequet. Why wouldn't he ever leave her alone? What had she ever done to him?

"Yeah, we thought we were finally rid of you," Tutu added.

Tutu and Bequet were both five and thought that they were in charge of all the smaller ones. Nefer-Tina hated both of them. They did nothing but say mean things to her all day long. They were the meanest of all the children.

She couldn't wait for next year when they would be too old to stay with the "little ones", as the big people called them. She prayed to the gods every night for them to "be six now".

She felt someone shove against her back.

"Bequet asked you a question, Stupid," Tutu informed her. "Tell him why you came back."

"Yeah, we're waiting, Stupid," Bequet said.

Nefer-Tina just closed her eyes and waited for the pain to begin. They never went away without hurting her first.

The first kick came almost immediately. And it hurt more than usual.

"Ow!" she involuntarily cried out.

"That's what you get for not answering the question," Bequet happily told her. "Now tell us why you came back and I won't kick you again."

She braced herself for the next impact.

"Hey! What's going on here?" Enehy's voice suddenly asked. "Bequet, you get away from her right now!"

Bequet kicked Nefer-Tina again, even harder than the first time.

"Stupid," he repeated.

"Bequet!" Enehy's voice threatened. "Now!"

"Yes, Enehy," Nefer-Tina heard Bequet say.

"We'll finish this later," Tutu promised.

And she knew they would. They always did. _Always._

Nefer-Tina couldn't understand why they liked to be mean to her so much. She'd never done anything to them. Everyone told her what a good girl she was. Especially Mama...

Mama.

Mama who didn't love her anymore.

It hurt to think about Mama. It made her want to start crying again. She loved Mama so much. Why had Mama stopped loving her?

She wondered if Papa would know. Papa loved her like Mama used to love her. Papa also loved Mama. Papa would have to know what she could have done to make Mama not love her anymore.

Nefer-Tina braved a look behind her. Bequet and Tutu were talking to Enehy, who didn't look very happy. They weren't looking in her direction.

_I find Papa,_ she decided.

She got off from the floor and walked out the door again.

Mama said that Papa went to a place called "the fields" every day. So if she found the fields, she'd find Papa.

Determined to learn why Mama no longer loved her, Nefer-Tina set off to find the mysterious fields and Papa.

((((())))))

Mehy wiped the sweat away from his brow with the back of his hand. It was an unusually hot day for this time of year and it was taking its toll on him. He doubted he'd harvest as much grain today as he'd hoped.

Not that it would truly matter at the end of the season. Rekhmire was a fair employer and did not set any quotas for his workers. As long as everyone worked hard and brought in as much produce and grain as they could, he considered it a successful harvest. His was an unusual attitude, but Mehy felt that it was a gift from the gods. It made what was considered a thankless job a worthwhile profession. (Working for Rekhmire had given him the first job he felt he could enjoy since being forced to retire from charioteering.)

Mehy grasped another stalk and raised his sickle arm high. But before he could take a swing, movement in his peripheral vision caught his attention.

Letting his arm fall, he turned and was surprised to see a little girl walking through the field in his direction.

What was a child doing out here unsupervised? Where had she come from? Was she from the farm or the nearby village? And, more importantly, was she lost?

"Papa?" she tentatively called out.

"Have you lost your papa?" he asked as he released the stalk and put the sickle down on the ground. He walked over to her and knelt down to her level. "And how about your mama?"

"Mama no love me," the girl told him, "Want to find Papa."

_'Mama no love me'?_ "What do you mean your mother doesn't love you?"

"She wouldn't... She wouldn't..."

And then the little girl started to cry.

Mehy didn't know what to do. The gods had chosen not to bless him and Pakhet with children, so he had no experience dealing with sobbing ones. How would he calm her down?

Relying on his instincts, he took her into his arms. Holding Pakhet always worked, so he figured it wouldn't hurt to try it on the girl.

"There, there, little one," he said soothingly. "Your mama loves you. Mamas always love their little girls." At least he now knew what she was doing out here.

"No," the girl tearfully insisted. "Mama no love me."

He held her slightly away from his body and gave her a look. "Tell me why you think that?"

"Mama no play. Say go back. Didn't wanna go back."

"Go back where?"

"To mean people."

_Mean people?_ First she thinks her mother doesn't love her and now there were "mean people"? What was going on with this little child?

"Who are the mean people?"

"Bequet and Tutu," she informed him.

Both names were vaguely familiar to him, but he couldn't place them at the moment. "Does your mama know that they're mean to you?"

"No."

"No? And why not?"

The girl shrugged.

"Why haven't you told her?"

The girl shrugged again.

"And you think your mama doesn't love you because she told you to go back to be with them?"

The girl nodded, looking like she was going to start crying again.

Mehy shook his head in wonder. The logic of very young children. "Oh, little one, you have a lot to learn about mamas." He pulled her close against him. "We'll find your mama and get this whole thing straightened out. How's that sound?"

"Okay," the girl quietly answered.

Mehy just smiled.

"Nefer-Tina?" a voice called in the distance.

"Mama?" the girl whispered, sounding awed.

Recognition set in at once. The girl was Nefer-Tina, Rekhmire's daughter. He had only seen her once or twice in the few months he'd lived here. Rekhmire and his wife Karem kept her close to the main house since she was so young. It was only on rare occasions that any of the workers saw the child.

"Over here!" he called out to Karem, putting little Nefer-Tina down. "She's with me!"

"Oh, thank the gods!" Karem's voice cried out in relief.

There was the sound of running and Karem burst through the wheat stalks.

"Oh, my baby! There you are!" Karem exclaimed, falling to her knees and embracing her daughter.

"Mama," the girl said softly, putting her tiny arms around her mother's neck. "Mama!"

Karem stood up and smiled gratefully at Mehy, holding Nefer-Tina in her arms. "I've been so worried. She's been missing for hours. How can I ever thank you?"

"Well, you can start by telling her that you love her."

"What?" Karem sounded caught off-guard.

"This little one thinks that you don't love her anymore," he told her matter-of-factly. "She was out here looking for her father."

"Is that true?" she asked her. "Do you think that I don't love you?"

Nefer-Tina nodded solemnly. "Wouldn't play."

"Of course I love you, silly," Karem informed her. "I told you I'd play with you later. I was just busy before."

"Nefer-Tina," Mehy spoke up and the little girl looked at him. "Tell her about the mean people."

Karem sent him a puzzled expression before returning her attention to her daughter. "What mean people?"

"Bequet and Tutu," Nefer-Tina said softly. "They mean, Mama. They hurt."

Karem looked stricken. "They what?"

"They hurt me, Mama. They not nice. They say 'stupid'."

"Oh gods," Karem gasped. "For how long, little one?"

"Forever," Nefer-Tina told her. "Forever mean, Mama."

"My poor darling," Karem said, kissing her. "Why haven't you told me?"

"Don't know," the girl confessed.

"Does Enehy know?"

Nefer-Tina nodded. "Enehy makes them stop. Enehy nice."

"Then why did you run away from her? Hmm, baby?"

"She no notice me," Nefer-Tina informed her. "She talk to Bequet. Wanted to find Papa so he tell me why you no love me."

"Which you now know she does," Mehy interjected.

"Yes I do," Karem agreed. "Mama loves you very much."

"Me love Mama," Nefer-Tina said happily and then buried her face in Karem's neck.

Karem turned to Mehy. "Thank you so much for finding her. I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to her."

"She's safe now," he told her. "That's really all that matters. I'm only glad I was able to find her before she got herself hurt."

"This is the second time she's wandered out of the children's room today," Karem sighed. "I don't know what I'm going to do with her."

"The second time?" Mehy repeated incredulously. "How could that have happened? Isn't Enehy supposed to be keeping an eye on them?"

"Supposed to be," Karem agreed, "but apparently she's not. It's been implied that she's seeing a boy while on duty."

"Disgraceful," Mehy declared, kneeling down to retrieve his sickle. "I'd heard that she was egotistical and full of herself, but never that she was so irresponsible." He stood back up. "What was she thinking?"

"Apparently she wasn't," Karem told him. She sighed again. "What am I going to do?"

"Well, you can start by finding someone to replace her," Mehy suggested. "I don't know about you, but I'd never trust her with another child again."

"Easier said than done," she informed him. "There's no time to find and train a replacement this late in the harvest season. We'd never meet our quotas if we had to teach both Enehy and whoever we replaced her with their new chores. You know as well as I do that we can't risk falling short on our taxes."

"Yet you can't let her remain in charge of the children," he said.

"What choice do I have?" she questioned. "So far, Nefer-Tina is the only one who is suffering under her care." She slightly shifted her daughter in her arms. "Hopefully nothing will change in a few months. As soon as the harvest ends, Rekhmire and I will have a talk with her and find someone to take her place."

"Good," Mehy decided. "I can't stand the thought of any child being in such irresponsible hands for much longer."

"You really like children, don't you?" Karem wanted to know.

"Yes, I do," he admitted. "Pakhet and I often wonder why the gods haven't given us any of our own."

"No one knows why the gods can be so cruel," she told him. She gave him a smile. "I think you would have made a very good father."

"Thank you."

Nefer-Tina began to wiggle in her mother's arms.

"Down!" she demanded.

"Not yet, little one," Karem informed her. She turned back to Mehy, visibly struggling to keep her grip on Nefer-Tina. "Well, I guess I should let you get back to your harvesting. But first, tell me how Rekhmire and I may repay you for finding our daughter."

"There's really no need," he protested. "Seeing her safely reunited with you was reward enough in itself."

"But I want to," Karem insisted. "You saved my daughter. You deserve to be properly thanked for your kindness."

"Hmm," Mehy said thoughtfully. "Well, my wife says you're quite the cook..."

((((())))))

"And that's when I found her with you," Karem finished her story, giving Nefer-Tina, who was happily and obliviously eating bread, a gentle rub on the back. "Amazingly, and thankfully, unharmed and in one piece."

"I still can't believe no one saw her leave the house," Pakhet commented. "Where was everyone?"

"Doing their chores, as we were," Karem answered. "Who would ever think that they'd have to watch out for a little girl?"

"Not Enehy for one," Mehy offered darkly.

Karem had quickly learned that Mehy had no patience for anyone who mistreated children. From Pakhet, she had discovered that he had come from a large family and had been largely responsible for the well-being of his siblings, with whom he was very close. They had all been very important to him and were the reason he wanted children of his own so badly.

"Can you believe that she didn't even notice Nefer-Tina was gone until I pointed it out to her?" Karem went on.

Unable to stop thinking about Nefer-Tina's strange behavior and feeling more than a little guilty, she had decided to pick Nefer-Tina up early and devote extra time to playing with her tonight. But when she'd arrived, Nefer-Tina had been nowhere in sight.

Enehy's reaction had been typical. Instead of the concern a normal caretaker would had displayed, she immediately went to work making herself look innocent of any wrongdoing.

"Nefer-Tina isn't the only child here, you know," she had said. "There are others that need watching too. I can't keep an eye on her every second."

Ignoring Enehy, Karem had begun a frantic search of the house. She didn't know how long she had run in circles until it dawned on her that Nefer-Tina wasn't anywhere to be found, which could only mean one thing: her daughter had gotten outside.

Alone.

Luckily, the three-year-old had not gotten very far before she ran into Mehy, who had halted her wanderings.

"I look forward to the day the she is removed from her current role in this household," Rekhmire declared. "She's a disgrace to her entire family."

"I wouldn't go that far," Karem interjected, "but I think she still has a lot of growing up to do."

As long as she had known him, Rekhmire had placed an emphasis on social standings. She assumed it was a result of growing up in an upper class family. She herself was the daughter of a baker. All members of a family affected the appearance of the whole. To him, one bad seed made the entire family look bad.

"So what will you do with Nefer-Tina now?" Mehy wanted to know. "Obviously, going back to Enehy is out of the question."

"That's a given," Karem agreed, "but unfortunately it's more of a problem than a solution."

"The idea of having one person watch all the children was to allow all the chores to be divided up more evenly," Rekhmire took over. "Everyone else has responsibilities of their own. No one else is available to watch Nefer-Tina for us."

"Can't you keep her with you, Karem?" Mehy questioned.

"Believe me, I would if I could," she told him, "but today proved that it's impossible. The few hours I did have her with me were disastrous."

"Just ask Abana and Bunefer," Pakhet put in.

"What happened?"

There was a fit of giggles as the subject of the conversation started throwing pieces of bread into the air instead of eating them.

"She kept getting into things and running around in general," Karem explained as she lifted Nefer-Tina into her lap. "She refused to sit still for even a minute and kept getting under foot." She began to brush bread crumbs from her daughter's hair and clothes. "Bunefer and Abana were bringing in the new bowls they had spent weeks on when Nefer-Tina startled them."

"Oh" was all Mehy could manage.

"We just don't know what to do," Rekhmire said. "We hate how unhappy she was with Enehy, but at least she wasn't in anyone's way."

"She's more than a little wild, as you're finding out first hand," Karem continued. "She loves to run and play above all else."

"Play!" Nefer-Tina perked up at the sound of her favorite word.

"Hmm..." Mehy appeared as if he were pondering the dilemma.

"Do you have an idea?" Pakhet asked at his sudden silence.

"Maybe," he told her. He turned to Rekhmire. "You have all of us workers spread pretty far apart, don't you?"

"Yes, as a way of making sure everyone harvests enough without depriving anyone else. Why?"

"I'm getting to that. And isn't it unlikely that any one worker will encounter another?"

"It hasn't happened yet as far as I know."

"I think I know where you're going with this," Karem interrupted. "But wouldn't keeping an eye on her distract you from your work?"

"There'd be no need to actually watch her," Mehy explained. "She'd be tied to a wagon or post with a very long rope that would allow her to run and play to her heart's content. She could go wild without getting lost."

"Hmm," Rekhmire nodded thoughtfully. "I think Mehy may be on to something here. It could work."

"I'm willing to give it a try," Karem agreed. "Mehy, once again, we're in your debt."

"And once again, it was nothing," he waved her off. "Besides, it would be my pleasure to have her around. I like this little one. I would like nothing more than to help keep her happy."

"Play!" was Nefer-Tina's only comment.

((((())))))

Nefer-Tina giggled as Mama caught her and picked her up.

"Come on, sweet one," Mama said. "Let's go see your surprise now."

"Tell me, Mama!" Nefer-Tina demanded again. "Want know!"

Mama just smiled.

"Mama mean," Nefer-Tina decided.

Mama had been promising her a surprise all morning but refused to say what it was. The only thing she had told her was that she never had to stay with Enehy or the mean people again. Nefer-Tina loved surprised, but she loved the fact that she was finally free of the mean people forever even more.

Mama carried her through the house and then, much to Nefer-Tina's delight, out the door.

"Outside!" she cried happily. She loved being outside!

"There she is!" came a familiar voice.

"Mehy!" Nefer-Tina called with a smile. Mehy was so nice! She was glad she had met him yesterday.

"Are you ready to have some fun?" Mehy asked. He was standing next to a big wagon with big horsies attached. Nefer-Tina loved horsies too!

"Fun!" she eagerly echoed. Fun always meant playing. So was playing outside with Mehy her surprise? If it was, it was the best surprise ever!

"This is your surprise," Mama confirmed. "You'll be going with Mehy every day for a while now."

"Ooh!" Mehy was _much_ better than Enehy. He was nicer and more fun! Plus he had made her realize that Mama had never stopped loving her.

"You have the rope?" Mama strangely asked Mehy.

"Sure do," he told her, turning to his wagon.

Rope? What did they need rope for? Was it part of a new game Mehy was going to teach her?

"Okay, little one," Mama said, putting her down and kneeling to the ground. "You have lots of fun and play as much as you want."

"Mama no come?"

"Mama has chores, sweetie," Mama reminded her, "but Mama loves you very much."

"Me love Mama!"

Mama pulled her into a hug. "Mehy will be with you and you'll have a wonderful time together." She released her. "Okay?"

"'Kay!"

"It's true," Mehy agreed. He came over holding the rope. "Now lift your arms."

Nefer-Tina raised them and Mehy wrapped the rope around her waist.

"What for?"

"To keep you safe," Mehy supplied.

"Mama and Papa don't want to lose you again," Mama added.

"Mehy no lose me!" Nefer-Tina declared.

"No I won't," Mehy laughed. He then grew serious. "I'll take good care of her, Karem."

"Karem" was Mama's name. (Only she was special enough to call her "Mama".)

"I know," Mama said. She kissed Nefer-Tina and hugged her once more. "Be good, my darling."

"Me good!"

Mehy laughed again and picked her up. "Let's go have lots of fun!"

"Fun!"

((((())))))

Mehy looked down after the inevitable tug on his kilt.

"What doing?" Nefer-Tina asked as he knew she would.

"I'm bagging the stalks I've cut," he explained.

Knowing children in general, he had known that she would be curious about her new surroundings and would want to explore them. That was why he had not asked Karem to supply him with any of her toys for this first outing. It would give her a chance to poke around and test the limits of her rope.

He also known that she'd be curious about what _he_ was doing, most likely before anything else. So he'd gone out early and cut several stalks of grain so he could begin with the bagging. He didn't want to be swinging the sickle when she came over to him.

"Why?"

"So it's easier to bring back to the store house," he told her.

"What store house?"

"A place to keep what you've harvested before you're ready to use it."

"Make sense," she decided. She picked up a stalk. "Me help?"

"Help?" he asked in complete surprise.

"Help!" she repeated, waving the grain. "Me help!"

He had to laugh. She was three-years-old and thought she could help him. It was both ludicrous and adorable.

"I don't think you can, little one," he informed her. He doubted she had the attention span for even a task as simple as placing grain in a bag. No small child ever stuck to one thing for very long.

"Help!" she insisted. "Me help!"

He laughed again. He now understood why Karem couldn't keep her during the day.

"Wouldn't you rather play?"

"Help!" she demanded. "Look fun!"

He chuckled. "It's not fun, little one. It's actually rather boring," he admitted. Farming was definitely not the most glamorous line of work, but it beat sitting around and moping about the career he had lost.

"Look fun!" she disagreed. "Want help!" She began waving the stalk again. "Me help!"

Realizing he had no choice but to let her "help", he pushed one of the bags towards her. He gave her maybe ten minutes before giving up.

"All right, little one. All right. Here's what you do."

He picked up a sack and pulled it open.

Nefer-Tina did the same with hers.

"You pick up the grain and you put it in the bag like this."

He simply took a stalk and placed it inside his bag.

Nefer-Tina perfectly mirrored him.

"Fun!" she giggled and went to work bagging as many stalks as she could get her tiny hands on.

Mehy just stared at her in fascination.

In less than five minutes, she had filled an entire bag.

"Help more!" she demanded.

"Well, I'll be," he muttered in disbelief.

"More!"

((((())))))

"I think that's the last of them, Mehy," Nefer-Tina announced as she handed him a bag full of grain.

"I think so too," Mehy agreed as he swung it onto the wagon. "We did really well today."

"Yeah," the eight-year-old nodded. "We make a great team."

"We sure do."

Nefer-Tina smiled. "I told you I could help!"

The two of them laughed. It had become a running joke over the years about how she had "forced" him to let her help that first day together.

"Ready to go back?"

"Only if you let me drive!"

"Yeah, right," Mehy laughed.

"Stupid law," she grumbled. "I bet I could outdrive most of the boys."

"You know, I bet you could too," he agreed. "I've never met anyone else who has excelled at as many things as you have. You have this amazing ability to pick up anything you set your mind to."

"Thanks," she accepted, feeling a little embarrassed. She decided to change the subject. "Why do they have those dumb laws anyway? Why can't girls learn to do all the things that boys do?"

"That's something you'd have to take up with the gods I guess," Mehy shrugged. "That's just the way things have always been."

"It's not fair," she complained. "We girls get stuck with all the boring stuff."

She hated everything that was expected of her as a girl. Cleaning, cooking, and weaving were not for her. She loved the freedom of fieldwork. Being confined to a house was like being in prison in her opinion. Even the idea of school sounded more exciting.

"That 'boring stuff' is your future, Nefer-Tina," Mehy informed her. "As much as I hate the idea of someone with your talents being hidden away from the world, that's how it's going to be."

"I wish things didn't have to change," she sighed. "I love being able to work with you every day."

"Me too," Mehy agreed. "I treasure the time we have together."

"Aww, Mehy," she blushed.

"Come on," he said, waving her towards the front of the wagon. "Let's get you back before your mother starts worrying."

She laughed. "You know Mama's glad to have me out of her hair for as long as possible. The later I am, the better!"

He added his own laughter to hers.

"So, are we still on for tonight?" he asked her as they climbed onto the passenger bench.

"Are you kidding me? I wouldn't miss this for the world!"

Mehy had been telling her stories of chariot races ever since she had met him. He had once been a racer, one of the best according to everyone she had asked, until a devastating accident had robbed him of his dream. He had crashed in the middle of a race and sustained a head injury that left him feeling off-balance and dizzy much of the time. Racing a chariot became impossible for him. No physician had been able to determine the cause of his disability nor how to cure it.

But not even that had stopped him from loving the sport and it was something he talked about constantly. Nefer-Tina had listened in fascination and dreamed of the day she would be able to see a race first-hand.

She had been overjoyed when Raia had also invited her to come tonight. He had come to invite Mehy because he wanted his expert opinion on his performance and then added in passing that he thought Nefer-Tina was old enough to join them. ("Eight _is_ pretty old," Raia had joked, earning a glare from the insulted party.)

"Maybe afterward Raia will take you for a short ride."

"I'd like that," Nefer-Tina told him, wishing Mehy could be the one to give her the ride. "There is one condition though," she added in a conspiratorial tone.

"And what's that?"

"You have to let me drive."

"Not in this lifetime."

((((())))))

"By the gods," Nefer-Tina breathed as the chariots zoomed past her.

"Incredible, aren't they?" Mehy beamed.

"I've never seen anything like them," she told him. "They're amazing."

"Yes they are," he agreed. "And being behind the reins is unlike anything else in the entire world."

"I wish I could feel it," she said.

"I know, sweetie, I know. I wish I could again too."

They fell into a silence as the race continued on. Nefer-Tina didn't have to speak to Mehy to sense his mixed feelings of longing and excitement. She wished there was some way she could give him back his ability to race.

The race finally ended when Setep's chariot finished the final lap mere seconds before Raia's did.

Mehy made a sound as he watched Raia bring his chariot to a stop.

"He still hasn't learned his lesson," he commented.

"What's that?" she asked curious.

"Come on," he said, urging her to follow. "I'll tell the two of you at the same time."

"Mehy!" Raia waved to them as they approached. "Just the person I wanted to see! Hey, Nefer-Tina."

"Hi, Raia." Nefer-Tina liked Raia. He was very funny and very nice.

"So, what's the verdict? How did I mess up yet again?"

"You're still doing the same two things you always do," Mehy informed him. "You run your horses too fast too soon and you hug the outside of the lane. How many times am I going to have to point that out to you?"

"Wow," Nefer-Tina commented. How had Mehy caught those things? All she had seen was two unbelievably fast blurs. "How did you see that?"

Mehy chuckled. "I know what to look for. A first-timer like you wouldn't notice something so minor."

"Mehy is the charioteering expert," Raia put in. "If there's something to know, he already knows it. Why do you think I rely on his advice so much? If anyone can figure out my problems, it's Mehy. He's the best of the best."

"No, I was just one of many good charioteers," Mehy corrected. "There are a lot of others who know as much or even more than I do."

"You're just saying that because you're modest," Raia decided. He turned to Nefer-Tina. "Don't let him fool you. There's no one better out there."

"I know," Nefer-Tina agreed. "Mehy's the best of everyone."

"You see?" Raia said. "If she says it, it has to be true. Little children always tell the truth."

"Uh-huh" was all Mehy had to say to that.

"So, you two wanna see my new baby?" Raia asked. "She's a thing of real beauty."

Mehy had told Nefer-Tina that all chariots were referred to as "she". Why, she did not know. They were not alive and therefore could not be boys or girls.

Raia led them to his "baby." "She rides like a dream."

"Too bad you drove it like a nightmare," Mehy commented.

"Ha-ha, very funny."

While the two grown-ups kept talking, Nefer-Tina took a closer look at the chariot.

It was definitely neither beautiful nor girl-like, but she could immediately understand why Raia loved it so very much. Just looking at it sent the most amazing feelings through her body. She wondered what it would be like to be on it as it went speeding around the track. She bet it was more fun than anything else in the entire world.

Question after question began to form in her mind. How did it work? How could something so bulky move so fast? Did it hurt the horses to pull it while running? How could the horses be controlled at those speeds for that matter? How could the driver have time to see where he was going?

Without thinking, she climbed into the chariot for a closer examination.

"I think we may have a problem here," Raia's voice broke into her thoughts.

_Oops!_ she mentally cried as she realized where she was. She climbed back out.

"And what's that?" Mehy wanted to know.

"She looks better behind the reins than I do!" Raia grinned.

Mehy laughed. "I hate to break it to you, but so does anybody."

"Why are you always so mean to me?" Raia mock-whined.

"I wish I could drive," Nefer-Tina sighed wistfully. "It looks like so much fun."

"It can also be very dangerous," Mehy reminded her. "But I think that of everyone I've ever met, you'd be able to handle it. I always say you'd be one of the best."

"The law is so stupid!" she complained. "Girls are just as good as boys are."

"You're right," Mehy agreed, "but the law is the law. Only the pharaoh can change it. And that's only if the gods approve."

"I'd love to give them a piece of my mind," she told him.

"And she would too," Mehy said to Raia. "Nefer-Tina never backs down from anything she puts her mind to."

"I can see that," Raia agreed.

"I'd just love to even _know_ how to drive," she told them. "A wagon, a chariot, _anything!_ I don't care if I don't ever actually _do_ drive. You know what I mean?"

"I think so," Raia nodded. "And maybe I can help you with that, if Mehy doesn't mind."

"What crazy idea have you come up with this time?" Mehy asked.

"How about I give Nefer-Tina a couple of lessons while I drive her around the track?" Raia proposed. "Just show her the ropes and let her get a feel for being in it. There's no law against explaining driving to women. They just can't actually drive."

"Oh, thank you, Raia!" Nefer-Tina burst happily. "I would love that!"

"Just don't be too surprised if she tries to snatch the reins out of your hands," Mehy informed him. "She's tried that one on me more times than I can count over the years."

"Hey, you're the one who just said I never back down from anything," she pointed out.

"See what I have to put up with every single day?" Mehy complained. "It's no wonder her parents want me to keep her out as long as possible."

"I have only one thing to say: better you than me!" Raia declared.

"Real nice you two," Nefer-Tina said.

"So meet me tomorrow night right here?" Raia asked.

"I'm there!" Nefer-Tina told him.

"As long as your parents don't find out," Mehy warned.

"They won't," she promised. "They think I'm too boyish as it is. Gods forbid I should add something else to their list of complaints!"

"They just want you to be a proper lady when you grow up," Mehy reminded her. "And unfortunately proper ladies don't do any of the things you do, especially ride around in chariots."

"Sometimes I really hate being a girl," she admitted. "It's not fair that I can't do what I want when I grow up."

"I know, sweetheart, I know," Mehy comforted her.

"Look at it this way," Raia spoke up. "You'll be the _only_ girl who can both think like and keep up with the boys. That'll come in very handy when you're older."

"Really?" she perked up.

"Really," Raia smiled. "Well, until tomorrow night then!"

"Tomorrow night!" she happily agreed.

She wouldn't miss it for the world.

((((())))))

"All right, guys," Raia called to his horses, who were named Starlight and Wind. "Let's slow it down a little."

Nefer-Tina watched in rapt attention as Raia adjusted his hold on the reins and changed how hard he was pulling. The horses immediately went from a fast trot to a leisurely pace.

"See what I just did? Just a little change in pressure is all it takes to tell your team what you want," he instructed. "There's no need to yell at them or hit them."

"What kind of idiot would do something like that?" she wanted to know.

"Stupid people," he told her. "They believe the horses are as stupid as they are and can't understand or learn anything."

"That really _is_ stupid," she commented. "Horses are really smart."

"Exactly," Raia agreed. "For example, if I tried anything like that on these guys, they'd never let me get away with it. Right, guys?"

Wind neighed in his opinion.

Nefer-Tina giggled.

"Now watch as I tell them to go faster again."

He gave the reins a light shake and the horses broke back into a trot.

Nefer-Tina sighed. "I wish I could try that."

"Good thing you're so short," he teased, "or I might let you."

"I bet you'd let me if I was a short boy," she decided.

"Nah, that wouldn't make a difference," he told her. "Boys lack your charm."

"Um, thanks?"

"Don't mention it," he grinned and she laughed.

"Boys, let's bring her in," he instructed Starlight and Wind. "Watch how I get them to stop where I want."

Nefer-Tina observed yet another series of intricate hand-rein interactions as the chariot came to a standstill.

"And _that_, young lady, is how you drive a chariot," Raia said proudly.

"Wow" was all she could say. "You're so good."

"Ah, I'm okay," he waved her off. "That guy over there is way better."

"_Was_," Mehy corrected coming over to join them. "Not anymore."

"Okay, my turn now!" Nefer-Tina grinned mischievously.

"In your dreams," Mehy told her.

"Darn!" she mock-grumbled.

"All right, I think that about does it for your lesson in charioteering," Mehy said. "Time to go home."

"Aww," she whined. "I'm not ready to go back."

"Too bad," he informed her. "You have an early morning, remember? We've got a field to work."

"Same here," Raia chimed in. "A farmer's work is never done."

"Okay," she gave in. "Raia, thank you so much for this. You're the best!" she hugged him.

"No problem, sweetie," he said, reciprocating the hug. "It was fun."

"It was even better than I dreamed," she told him.

Mehy patted her on the shoulder. "Let's go. Good night, Raia. Thank you again."

"It was my pleasure," Raia waved him off. He grinned wickedly. "Hey, maybe she'll like me better now."

"Nah!" she grinned back. "Night, Raia!"

"Good night, you two."

Mehy began herding her towards his wagon.

"Gods, Mehy! I've never had so much fun in my entire life! I could do that every day!" she happily babbled, skipping along side him. "Chariots are the best!"

"I'm glad you like them," he smiled. "I just wish you could experience them the way they were meant to be experienced."

"Stupid law," she grumbled again. "It's not like I'd be hurting anyone or anything. What's the gods' problem anyway?"

"No one knows," he assured her. "Believe me, if it were up to me, I would have taught you years ago. It hurts to see such potential wasted."

"You know," she said thoughtfully, "it kind of _is_ up to you. Think about it. Mama and Papa put me in your care. Isn't education part of care?"

"Nice try," he commended her with a chuckle. "That mind of yours never takes a break, does it?"

"No, seriously!" she pressed as they reached the wagon. "Everything I do and learn is up to you, right? You're the one who decides what's best for me. Who's to say driving chariots isn't what's best for me?"

"It's against the law," he reminded her.

"No one would know," she tried. "It would be our secret. We could do it out here late at night when there's no one around."

"There's no guarantee that we wouldn't be seen," he pointed out.

"Then we'd find someplace where we _know_ we wouldn't be," she asserted. "Come on, Mehy! You know how much driving means to me. I need this! Teach me! Please!"

Mehy sighed and climbed into the wagon.

She followed and joined him on the bench. "I've never asked you for anything else. Please?"

Mehy started to take the reins but hesitated.

"Do you know what would happen if we got caught?" he asked her.

"Not really," she confessed. "I know that we would be in big trouble."

"I would go to jail, Nefer-Tina," he told her. "I would be imprisoned and lose everything I own. My house, my money, every possession. Pakhet would be left alone. But worst of all, my reputation of being a good and honest man would be destroyed."

"Oh," she barely whispered. She hadn't known any of that. She thought only bad people went to jail. Would breaking a silly law make people think Mehy was a bad man?

"You're very young and know very little about the ways of the world," he soothed her. "Every action, good or bad, has consequences. A possible consequence of teaching you how to drive is getting caught. When taking an action, you have to consider all possible consequences. Is learning to drive worth those consequences?"

She did not know what to say. On one hand, she felt that learning to drive was worth every risk in the universe. On the other, she didn't want Mehy to get hurt if they were caught.

Mehy was right. They _could_ be caught. And that would mean the end of everything.

Yet, learning to drive was her passion. It was, as she had told Mehy repeatedly, all she ever wanted. It was the ultimate fun. Just being a passenger wasn't enough for her. She _wanted_ to be the driver.

She _wanted_ to learn how to drive.

She _wanted_ this.

She made her decision.

"Teach me."

((((())))))

"How do I look?" Nefer-Tina asked Mehy as she pulled at the sleeves of her oversized shirt.

"Not too bad," he told her. "I think you'll pass."

She laughed. "It's not as if anyone's going to be looking at my face."

The ten-year-old turned back to the mirror and examined her disguise. She wore a very large shirt, most likely three sizes too big, an extra long kilt, and a cloak that would hide the box she had to stand on while driving the chariot. Her long hair was hidden beneath a helmet.

"Yeah, I think I will too. Here's to breaking yet another law! So what's my name again?"

"Gua, Pakhet's nephew from Memphis."

"Gua. Got it," she nodded. She turned back to him. "Oh, Mehy! Thank you so much for this! I can't believe I'm finally going to be in an actual race!"

"You've worked very hard these past two years," he told her. "I think someone of your exceptional skills needs a chance to shine."

"Think I'll win?"

"I don't know," he honestly told her. "I mean, look who you're up against. Raia. Setep. Yuya. You may be one of the best drivers I've ever seen, but you're untested in an actual race."

"So, basically what you're saying is expect to lose."

"Exactly. Promise you won't be too disappointed?"

"Gods, Mehy. Just being _in_ a race is more than I ever hoped." She went up to him and gave him a hug. "Thank you."

"Rule number one about pretending to be a man: no hugging," Mehy informed her while hugging her back. "You'd give yourself away in an instant."

"Yes, sir," she saluted him. "Anything else I need to remember...Uncle?"

"Where to begin?"

She punched him in the arm.

"There you go! That's very manly."

She grinned. "Come on! Let's get me to the track! I have a race to drive!"

((((())))))

"Oh my gods!" Nefer-Tina said for the thousandth time. "Just... Oh my gods!"

"I think she's still in shock," Mehy told Pakhet as the three of them sat around the dinner table.

"I am not!" Nefer-Tina shot back indignantly. "I'm just... Just... I can't find the words!"

Pakhet gave her a smile. "Don't worry about it, sweetheart. You just rode and won your very first race. You're entitled to be at a loss for words."

"You should have seen her," Mehy told Pakhet. "Her performance was amazing. I've never been prouder of anyone."

"She had a wonderful teacher," Pakhet smiled. "I'm so happy for the both of you."

Pakhet had been in on their secret almost from the beginning. Mehy had felt obligated to tell her since she would be affected too if they were ever caught.

"I just can't believe I actually won!" Nefer-Tina repeated for the thousandth time. "And you said I probably wouldn't!"

"What you did is very rare for a first-time racer," he explained. "Most, no matter how skilled, are beaten by the experience of the other racers."

"No wonder Setep was so upset," she grinned. "I bet he thought this race was an easy win for him."

"He's pretty much unbeaten," Mehy agreed. "To be defeated not only by a first-timer but a young 'boy' was a real blow to his ego."

"Good thing I made a break for it as soon as the race ended," she decided. "I've never seen him look so crazy! I thought he was going to kill me!"

Mehy laughed. "Well, you earned yourself a fan for life in Raia. He came over to tell me how happy he was that someone had finally beaten Setep. Then he wanted to know who taught you how to drive."

"Why? So he could steal him?" she laughed.

"Probably," Mehy agreed.

"So what did you tell him?"

"I pretended not to know."

"Did he believe you?" she asked, laughing.

"I think so," he told her. "But you can never be too sure where Raia is concerned."

"You think he might ask around?" she questioned, wondering if he would.

"It wouldn't do any good," Mehy said. "There's nothing for him to find out. 'Gua' is a distant relative who just happened to drop by for a visit. He's unlikely to show up again any time soon."

"Just until I get the urge to race again," she smirked.

"Which is not going to happen very often, right?"

"Yes, Mehy," she promised. "Is once a year distant enough?"

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

"I'll get it," Pakhet excused herself.

"As long as I just get to drive, I'm happy," she assured him as Pakhet left the room. "You know that. Today was just so special."

She gave a small sigh. "I wish I could tell my parents."

"I know," he soothed. "I wish you could too."

"It's just that they're so-"

"Hey!" interrupted a new voice.

Nefer-Tina looked up to see Pakhet reenter the dining room with their visitor: Raia.

"I was just coming by to congratulate our new charioteering champion." He turned directly to Nefer-Tina. "Congratulations, sweetie. That was quite a race!"

She just stared at him. He knew? How?

"W-what are you talking about?" Mehy stammered, exchanging shocked looks with Pakhet.

"Don't worry," Raia winked. "Your secret's safe with me. Remember, I gave you your very first lesson."

"B-but how?" Nefer-Tina managed.

"Easy. You drive exactly like Mehy. Though, I have to say, with a little bit more style. I like." He grinned even wider. "Then there was that cloak of yours to cover up the fact that you were standing on something."

Nefer-Tina was stunned. "Do you think anyone else figured it out?"

He shook his head. "Nah. No one else knew what to look for. Plus there was the fact that you were being so mysterious coming and going from the track. I knew something was up."

"So when you asked me..." Mehy started.

"I wanted to see what you'd say," Raia said, his grin getting bigger by the second. "You did good. So how long have you two been carrying on this illicit activity?"

"Two years," Nefer-Tina supplied. "We started the night after you gave me my first lesson."

"Ah-hah!" Raia crowed. "Look what I started! You can begin thanking me anytime."

"Thank you, Raia," Nefer-Tina said with a smile.

"So now that I'm in on the secret, is there anything I can do to help?" Raia asked seriously. "I'm willing and open."

"How about you race her from time to time?" Pakhet suggested. "It would be good practice for her since we can't risk something like today very often."

"Sounds good to me," Raia agreed. "What do you think, sweetie?"

"I'd love it! Mehy has basically had me driving in circles for the past two years. It would be nice to actually have someone to drive circles against!" Nefer-Tina told him.

Raia sat down at the table. "Tell me what I need to know."

"All right," Mehy said. "You'll meet us tomorrow and ..."

((((())))))

Nefer-Tina awoke to a horrible pain in her stomach.

"Ugh," she groaned as she bent over to clutch herself.

_What's wrong with me?_ the twelve-year-old wondered. She hadn't been feeling well for a few weeks now, but nothing like this. In fact, her aches and pains had been so minor that she hadn't bothered to say anything to anyone. Now there was no ignoring it.

Mehy was on his own today.

Realizing she still had to get up in order to _tell_ Mehy that she felt sick, she pushed the blanket away.

And that was when she saw the blood.

"Mama!" she screamed. "Oh, gods! Oh, gods! Mama!"

Realizing Mama probably couldn't hear her, she jumped out of bed.

Upon standing up, the pain worsened considerably.

"Mama!" she screamed again, racing to the door. She swung it open. "Mama! Somebody! Help me!"

She was terrified. What was wrong with her? What had caused the bleeding? Was she dying?

The pain was almost unbearable. The tears came unbidden.

"Nefer-Tina!" Mama cried as she came running. "What's-?" Her expression changed as soon as she came into view. "Back into your room! Now!"

"Mama! Help me, Mama!" She was sobbing now.

"Hush now, sweet one," Mama crooned, pulling her into a hug. "Don't cry. Please don't cry."

"It hurts!" she wailed.

"I know, baby, I know." Mama began to rub her back.

"What's wrong with me?" she asked through tears.

"Nothing at all, my darling," Mama told her. "You're bleeding because you have become a woman."

Nefer-Tina was too shocked to respond. A...woman?

"No," she choked. "No!" She sobbed even harder. The day she had dreaded had finally arrived.

Her life was over.

"Oh, baby," Mama soothed. "It'll be all right. Now come. We'll get you cleaned up and put you right back into bed."

In incredible pain and emotionally defeated, Nefer-Tina allowed her mother to pull her towards the wash basin without any objections.

((((())))))

Karem, feeling drained both physically and emotionally, forced a calm expression on her face as she went to give Mehy the news. She didn't want him to see how Nefer-Tina's pain was getting to her.

Mehy saw her approaching and waved. "Good morning, Karem."

"Good morning," she returned tiredly.

"Are you all right?" he asked, concern in his voice. "You look awful."

"Nefer-Tina became a woman this morning," she told him. "It's been an ordeal."

"I can see that," he agreed sympathetically. "Gods... How is she doing?"

"Not good," she confessed. "The pain has been excruciating. She's cried herself to sleep on and off all morning only to be reawakened by a surge of pain."

"By the gods," Mehy breathed. "The poor child. Is there anything that you can do for her?"

"Nothing more than what's already been done," she said. "Unfortunately, none of the known pain treatments have had any effect on her. So she'll just have to wait it out."

"Gods," Mehy sighed. "It's not right that anyone has to suffer like that."

"It's the curse of being a woman," she told him. "But thankfully the pain subsides quickly."

"That is a blessing," he agreed.

"Yes, she nodded, "it is." She remembered her own first bleeding time and how much it had hurt. The herbal pain remedies had not worked on her either and she had been terrified that she was going to die from the pain. The relief when the cramps had finally vanished had been enormous.

"So what happens now?" Mehy asked. "I assume her days with me are over."

"I wish things didn't have to be this way," she admitted. "Nefer-Tina loves being with you so much. Rekhmire and I see so little of her these days."

"And I love being with her. She's such a special girl," he said. "I feel like she's the daughter Pakhet and I never had. She's one of my closest friends."

_And you are her only friend,_ Karem silently added. It was a painful truth that had bothered Rekhmire and herself for years. For reasons unknown to them, none of the other children ever wanted to have anything to do with their daughter unless it was to torment her. Thankfully, she was more often ignored than harassed. It was because of the other children's treatment of her that she had ended up helping Mehy in the first place.

"But," she finally continued, "it's now time to prepare her for her future. It won't be long until she's of marriable age. She _has_ to know how to perform a woman's chores."

"I assume you know how she feels about getting married?" Mehy questioned.

"Very well," she assured him. "But if a man asks for her hand, she'll have no choice. Rekhmire and I are hopeful. She is a beautiful girl."

"That she is."

"But don't worry," Karem continued, "I have no intention of leaving her unprepared in the event no man chooses her."

"What are you going to do?"

"Give her a skill she can live on."

((((())))))

Nefer-Tina curled into a tighter ball on her bed. It was the fourth day of her bleeding time and the pain, while not as intense, still wracked her body.

She hated this. Being a woman was a nightmare. The thought of having to suffer this horrible pain every month for the rest of her life was unbearable. But the isolation was even worse.

For reasons she didn't understand, she couldn't leave her room until her bleeding time was over. A woman was "unclean" during this period and could not risk contaminating everything she encountered. This was stupid and made no sense, but she had no choice in the matter. It was the way things were.

Luckily, Mama and Pakhet came to see her a lot. Mama assured her that she would feel better soon while Pakhet brought messages from Mehy and Raia.

"How are you feeling, sweetie?" Mama asked, coming into the room.

"The same," Nefer-Tina told her miserably. She sat up in bed. "I wish this was over already."

"Just a couple more days," Mama promised. "Your flow has lightened up considerably since yesterday."

"I hate this."

"I know, baby."

"And I hate that I can't work the fields anymore," she continued. "It's not fair. I love it, Mama."

"I know."

"I just don't understand why I have to stop."

Mama sat down next to her on the bed. "A woman's place is in the home. You know that."

"But _why_?"

"It's just the way things have always been, but I suppose it's mostly because a woman has to watch the children and take care of the chores while her husband works. If both of them worked, who would do those things?"

Nefer-Tina shrugged. She hadn't really thought of that, but, then again, she didn't want to marry or have children. She just wanted to farm and ride chariots.

"But what if a woman doesn't get married?" she questioned. "Then she wouldn't have to do any of those things, right?"

"Of course she would," Mama answered. "Even a priestess has daily chores. A woman who lives alone has the same responsibilities in her own home that she would in a husband's. And on top of that, she would have to have a job."

"So there's no way around it?"

"I'm afraid not, sweetheart," Mama told her. "A woman always takes care of her home, no matter where it is."

"That's unfair," Nefer-Tina declared. "I don't want to get married and I don't want to take care of a home. I just want to have fun!" Field work and chariots were the best things in her life and both were fun. (Sure they were hard work too, but the rewards were worth it.)

"No one can live off of fun alone," Mama informed her. "So if you don't get married, you'll need a job."

"Okay, I'll get a job then," she decided. "What kind of jobs are out there?" One side effect of spending her entire twelve years on a farm was that she knew nothing of the outside world. Until now, she hadn't cared one way or the other.

Mama chuckled. "How about this? If you promise to learn your chores without complaint, I'll teach you a skill that will guarantee you work in a variety of places."

"What kind of skill?" she asked warily. She didn't want to make a promise without knowing what she was getting in return.

"Uh-uh," Mama said. "Not until you promise."

"That's not fair," Nefer-Tina huffed. "How do I know it's a good skill?"

"It's been passed through the women of my family for generations," Mama told her. "I may have gotten married, but some others in the past didn't and this skill served them well."

Nefer-Tina took a moment to consider it. What could it be? What did Mama do that wasn't housework related? Did Mama actually _do_ anything not housework related? (The fact that she didn't spend much time at home was probably why she hardly knew anything about either of her parents.)

_What do I have to lose?_ she decided. The two things she loved most in the world had already been taken away from her. She had nothing left.

"All right. I promise."

((((())))))

Nefer-Tina held the final note of the song in her voice as long as possible. It was one of her favorites, a beautiful love song, and she always hated having to end it. So she tried to make it last even after she had strummed the last chord on her lute.

"Wonderful!" Mama applauded after her voice finally faded. "Beautiful!"

"Absolutely gorgeous," Mehy agreed.

Nefer-Tina just smiled as her audience, consisting of her parents, Mehy, Pakhet, Raia and his wife of three months Nebetawy, and a few of the other farmers with their wives, cheered and shouted their approval. She enjoyed giving these weekly concerts, which she had been doing for two years now. Music had become almost as cherished as working the fields and charioteering, which she missed terribly. In all this time, she had not once regretted her decision to take Mama's deal.

She still hated doing house work, but she was able to get through the day knowing that the evening brought music practice. She even eased the monotony of the chores by singing, something the other women didn't seem to mind too much. (At least, they never _said_ that they minded.) Sometimes she even sang during her daily walks.

Finally, she put her lute down and got to her feet. "I'm glad everyone enjoyed it." She gave a tiny curtsey.

"You know we always do," Papa put in. "You have a wonderful gift, Nefer-Tina."

"Thank you," she said, smiling brightly.

"Who knew the little ruffian would turn out to be a songbird?" Raia teased.

"Thanks, Raia," Nefer-Tina said sarcastically. "Your observations are always _so_ kind."

"I aim to please!" he grinned. He put his arm around Nebetawy, who just smiled.

Although they had just gotten married they had known each other for over a year. She had come to the farm when her father had taken a job from Papa. She and Raia had become very close almost immediately. Nefer-Tina and Mehy had teased Raia almost mercilessly about the relationship. Nefer-Tina herself really liked Nebetawy.

She rolled her eyes before walking over to Mama and Papa. "Is it all right if I go to bed now? I'm a little tired tonight."

"Of course, sweetheart," Mama told her. "Good night, baby."

"Good night." She leaned down to kiss both her and Papa.

"We'll see you in the morning," Papa promised.

She smiled again and turned to the rest of her audience, which had grown considerably since beginning these concerts two years ago. Apparently it had become a very popular event on the farm, which she found both flattering and bewildering. Flattering, because it meant people thought she was good. Bewildering, because her voice wasn't _that_ good. She had an unusual sound, which was all right but nothing special. (For some reason, Mama claimed she had one of the most beautiful voices she ever heard, which she didn't understand. Mama was the one with the beautiful voice, not her.)

"Good night," she told her listeners and left the room.

In the beginning, the change of becoming a woman had been very difficult for her. She had been miserable because she could no longer do the things she loved. Watching Papa leave for the fields every morning had been especially painful. But she had kept her promise and not complained once. And the reward had been worth it.

When Mama had presented her with the lute, she had been skeptical. How could music guarantee her a job in the future? But Mama had told her that highly talented musicians were sought after for a number of reasons and made a nice living. So she had accepted the instrument and allowed Mama to begin teaching her. It had turned out to be one of the best decisions of her life.

Music became her passion. There was just _something_ about performing that gave her the most amazing feelings. She loved it. It almost equaled her love of chariots and field work. She lived for the time of day when her chores were finished so she could sit down with her lute.

She could definitely make a life for herself with her music.

((((())))))

Nefer-Tina sang to herself as she swept the main hallway. She kept her voice low but loud enough to hear over the raging wind of the sandstorm.

The sixteen-year-old sighed. The storm had been going on for hours with no sign of letting up soon. She badly needed to get outside for some fresh air.

"Beautiful as always," Mama said walking into the hall.

"Thank you, Mama," Nefer-Tina smiled.

"So, how's it coming?" Mama asked.

"It's not really coming at all," she told her. "More and more sands keeps blowing in under the door making me start over. This whole thing is pointless."

"Imagine how much worse it would be if you stopped sweeping altogether," Mama pointed out. "You're doing a very good job."

"Thanks."

"Would you like me to take over while you start your mending?" Mama proposed.

"No, that's okay," she waved her off. "This is my job, remember? You have other stuff to do, right?"

"Being mistress of the house has its advantages," Mama informed her. "So-"

A loud and frantic banging at the door cut her off.

"Who in the world?" Nefer-Tina exclaimed. How could anyone be out in this weather?

"Let's find out," Mama declared. "It must be one of the workers. Something must be terribly wrong or he wouldn't be here."

Mother and daughter rushed to the door and Mama pulled it open.

Much to their shock and surprise, it wasn't anyone they knew.

Standing in their doorway, covered in sand, stood a large group of well-dressed men and women.

"Can you please help us?" the man closest to them shouted above the wind. "Our caravan has gotten caught in this storm. May we take shelter here until it's over?"

"Of course!" Mama told him. "Please, all of you. Come in! Come in!"

Nefer-Tina backed away as the group practically fell into the hallway.

"Thank you, thank you," the man she assumed was the leader said as Mama pushed the door shut.

"Nefer-Tina," Mama said. "Go get your father immediately."

"Yes, Mama," she nodded and ran off to bring Papa.

((((())))))

"...And that's how we ended up outside your door," Genubath, the caravan's leader, finished his story. "I just regret that we're missing the banquet. We had been looking forward to it for some time."

"The gods often don't respect the wishes of their people," Rekhmire said. "But better you are here out of the storm than trapped on the road somewhere."

"Very true," Genubath nodded with a smile. "And the accommodations you have provided are more than adequate. And your food is as good as any palace banquet."

"Not true, but thank you anyway," Karem said with a smile. "We are not of the noble class, but we try to treat our guests as if they were."

"You and your husband are royalty in our eyes," Genubath assured her.

"Would you and your friends care for some entertainment?" Rekhmire asked. "Our daughter gives a lovely musical performance."

"Really?" Genubath questioned, his eyebrow raised. "I happen to adore musical performances. Attending them is a favorite hobby of mine."

"Then you are in for a treat," Rekhmire smiled, sharing a look with Karem. "Our Nefer-Tina is very talented."

"I look forward to hearing her then," Genubath said. "I love talent."

"You won't be disappointed," Karem promised. She knew how good Nefer-Tina was even if the girl didn't herself. (Nefer-Tina constantly put herself down when it came to her strengths as well as accentuating her weaknesses.) "Nefer-Tina!"

"Yes, Mama?" Nefer-Tina called from where she was attending to some of the women.

"Would you mind playing for our guests?" Karem asked her.

"Of course not, Mama," Nefer-Tina smiled. "Let me get my lute."

"She is very good," Karem told Genubath. "A natural talent."

Genubath just nodded.

Nefer-Tina quickly returned with her lute and sat down on a cushion. "What shall I play?"

"Anything you wish," Rekhmire told her.

The girl nodded and began to strum a slow melody.

Karem watched Genubath as he watched Nefer-Tina.

As soon as she began to sing, Karem smiled in satisfaction as an expression of complete and utter surprise appeared on Genubath's face.

"By the gods..."

((((())))))

Nefer-Tina was in the middle of her fifth song when she realized that she was too tired to go on. Helping Mama care for their unexpected guests had taken a lot out of her. She needed a rest.

She reached the end the piece and then put her lute down into her lap to signal that the performance was over.

Almost instantly, Genubath, the caravan's leader, jumped to his feet. "Magnificent! Astounding! Absolutely incredible," he loudly applauded. "You are amazing!"

Stunned, Nefer-Tina could only stare at him. No one had ever reacted to her playing like that before. _Ever._

Genubath's companions slowly began to rise to their feet as well. Soon everyone, including Mama and Papa, was standing and clapping. No one remained sitting.

Nefer-Tina was confused. Why were they acting like this? She wasn't _that_ good. Why were they treating her like she was? Didn't they know that Mama was a much better musician?

"Young lady, you are the most skilled musician I have ever had the pleasure of listening to," Genubath declared when the room had finally settled down. "I am in awe of your talent."

Nefer-Tina was too shocked to reply.

He turned to Mama and Papa, who were smiling broadly. "I should be furious with the two of you for keeping her a secret. Talent like that is meant to be shared with the world, not kept hidden away."

"We never thought that we were," Mama said. "She's not yet ready to go off on her own. She's still very young in many ways. But when she is ready, Rekhmire and I know that she'll be extremely successful."

"She's very special," Papa added. "She's going to go very far in life."

Nefer-Tina was too shaken to even feel embarrassed by her parents' exaggerations. What was going on? Why were they talking about her like this?

"I can almost guarantee that," Genubath agreed. "No one as talented as she is can do any less." He returned his attention to Nefer-Tina. "Tell me, young lady. Where do you foresee yourself going with your gift?"

It took her a moment to find her voice, her mouth having had gone completely dry. "W-what do you mean?"

"What will you do when you leave here?"

The question caught her off guard. The concept of leaving home was so foreign to her. Neither Mama nor Papa had mentioned it in so long that she had forgotten that it was even a possibility. This farm was her home...her _world._ She had everything she ever wanted (well, mostly) and needed. There really was no need for her to ever leave.

"I never thought about it," she honestly admitted. "I'm very happy here. Why would I leave?"

"I would think someone of your talent would have more ambition than that," Genubath commented.

"My music is my hobby," she told him, rising to her feet, her lute clutched against her body. "I love it, but it's not the most important thing in my life. My family is."

It was true. Nothing was more important to her than her family, which included all her friends as well. She had even grown very close to her parents in recent years. She treasured each and every person. She had no desire to be away from them.

As for her music just being her hobby, well, that was a bit of a stretch. Mama had taught her the lute as a skill for supporting herself when she went out on her own. It had, however, become her hobby as the years passed and no one mentioned her having to leave. She hoped it would stay that way.

Genubath chuckled. "You have a very unusual attitude for someone of your talents. Anyone else in your shoes would be dreaming of fame and fortune."

"Who needs either when you have a loving family?" she questioned.

He laughed louder this time. "I must know. How old are you?"

"Sixteen."

"Ah," he nodded. He turned back to Mama and Papa. "I now see what you meant when you said she was very young in many ways. Her innocence is remarkable."

"She's a remarkable girl," Mama told him. "And one day, when she's ready, she'll be a remarkable woman."

"I agree," Genubath said. "Perhaps all she needs is the right stimulation."

"What do you mean?" Papa wanted to know.

"As you know, my companions and I were headed to Memphis before the storm trapped us here," he began. "We were going to be guests of the pharaoh. This is because I give a great deal of money in support of the arts. Amenhotep is very fond of the arts, you know.

"Because of this, he only allows the most gifted and talented musicians to perform at the palace."

Nefer-Tina didn't like the sound of this at all. What did the pharaoh have to do with her?

"I believe your daughter would be a perfect addition to the palace musicians," Genubath announced.

_What?_ she silently cried.

"Truly?" Mama gasped.

"She's more talented than any group of them I've ever heard," he informed her. "Amenhotep would be a fool not to allow her to join the troupe."

"You hear that, baby?" Mama asked excitedly. "You're good enough to be a palace musician!"

Nefer-Tina really didn't care. So what if she was better than a bunch of musicians who worked for the pharaoh? That didn't mean she wanted to join them. All she wanted was to stay here and continue to play her music as she had been. She didn't want anything to change.

"If you will allow me, I'd like to take her with me when we go to Memphis," Genubath declared. "She belongs among her peers at the palace."

_What?_

"You would do that?" Mama asked, a strange note in her voice.

"It would be my honor and privilege," Genubath assured her. "Your daughter is the most incredible talent I have ever known. She deserves to be recognized as such."

"No," Nefer-Tina barely managed to whisper. What was Mama doing? She was agreeing to let a stranger take her away from her home?

She turned to Papa. Hopefully he would put an end to this discussion.

"The gods themselves must have sent you to our door," Papa spoke. "We never dreamed our Nefer-Tina would be given such a great opportunity."

"No..." she softly cried, tears beginning to form in her eyes as a realization struck her: her parents wanted to get rid of her.

It was a world-shattering moment. Everything she had ever thought...everything she had ever believed had been wrong. Her parents didn't love her. Why else would they be so happy that someone wanted to take her away?

She didn't understand it. She thought they had grown so close. All the things they had said and done for her. All the times they had told her that they loved her...

Suddenly, she felt utterly alone.

Mama had taken Genubath's hands in her own. "Thank you! Thank you!" she was saying, over and over.

Nefer-Tina had heard enough.

Her parents didn't love her and wanted to get rid of her. She felt a sharp pain in her chest.

They didn't love her.

Had they ever?

She openly began to sob at the thought.

Without a word, she fled the hall and ran to her room, the tears freely falling.

((((())))))

Nefer-Tina sobbed into her pillow, the pain of learning the truth of her parents' feelings for her overwhelming.

_They don't love me! They _never_ loved me!_ she mentally cried.

The cruelty of it all was unbearable. How could they treat her that way if they didn't love her like she loved them? What was the point? Had it been a game to them? Did her suffering bring them joy?

None of it made any sense. Why go out of their way to make her feel as loved as they had? What did they think it would accomplish if throwing her out was their ultimate goal? What had been their plan?

She felt both confused and miserable. She did not want to go to the palace to become a court musician yet she didn't want to stay here either. Not after learning the truth. But where could she go? What would she do? She knew nothing of the world beyond her farm. The farm _was_ her world.

She was so lost.

Suddenly, she heard her bedroom door open.

"Nefer-Tina, sweetie?"

_Mama!_

She froze, not daring to look up at Mama. What did she want? Was she here to rub in her victory?

"Oh, baby," Mama's voice said, sounding closer than before. "What's the matter?" The bed gave slightly as Mama sat on it. "What's wrong, sweetie?"

Nefer-Tina did not answer, terrified of what would happen if she did.

She then felt Mama lay a hand on her back and begin stroking her.

"Talk to me, baby. What is it?"

Nefer-Tina shook her head. She wouldn't answer. She _couldn't_ answer.

"Please, baby," Mama urged. "Tell me. Tell Mama what's wrong."

Mama's stroking of her back became more urgent and intense. If felt as if she was actually _concerned,_ something Nefer-Tina knew she couldn't be.

"Talk to me," Mama repeated. "Please."

Finally Nefer-Tina knew she had no choice.

"You want to get rid of me," she choked out. "You want to send me away."

"What?" Mama sounded taken aback.

Emboldened by Mama's "shock", she dared to look at her.

"I heard what you and Papa were saying to Genubath. You can't wait until I'm gone."

"What in the names of all the gods are you talking about?"

As if to prove her "surprise", Mama stopped rubbing her back.

"You want to send me away," she continued. "Papa even said that he had prayed for someone to come and get me."

"What?" Mama repeated, still pretending to be surprised.

"I know neither of you love me," Nefer-Tina finished, rolling into a sitting position. She wiped at her tears. "You just... You just..."

With that, she began to cry again, feeling worse than before.

"Oh, baby," Mama cried and Nefer-Tina felt Mama's arms go around her.

Why was she still pretending to care?

"My sweet darling," Mama crooned, "you have everything wrong. Of course we love you. We love you more than anything." She pulled her closer and began to rock her gently. "It's _because_ we love you that we want you to go to Memphis."

Nefer-Tina was suddenly very confused. What did Mama mean by that? How could sending her away be because they loved her?

"We've always told you how special you are," Mama continued. "You deserve more than the kind of life you've been living here. A better life. One full of luxury and safety. And you can't get that type of life here on the farm. You need to go some place as special as you are to find it.

"What Genubath is offering you is a life beyond anything either Papa or I have ever dreamed for you. We prayed every night that someone would come along and take you away from here. Someone who would give you the kind of life you more than deserve. And he will do just that."

"But I'm happy here, Mama," Nefer-Tina tearfully protested. "I-I don't want to go."

"You'll be happy there too, baby. I know you will."

"How do you know?"

"I just do," Mama insisted. "You'll be surrounded by people who will give anything just to hear you play. Your every need will be met. You won't even have time to miss us."

"I already do," Nefer-Tina informed her. "I love you. I want to stay."

"I know, baby, but this is for the best," Mama said. "We'll come visit you every chance we get. We'll always be there when you need us."

Sighing, Nefer-Tina finally put her own arms around Mama. "I have to go, don't I?"

"Yes."

Fresh tears spilled onto her cheeks as a new wave a sadness overcame her. "It's not fair."

"I know, baby, I know. But this is the best thing that could have ever happened to you. Your life is about to change for the better.

"I promise."

((((())))))

Genubath glanced up from his conversation with Rekhmire as Karem entered the room.

"How is she?" he worriedly asked.

He was greatly concerned about young Nefer-Tina. Her reaction to his offer had taken him by surprise. Never in a million years had he ever thought that his proposal would have sent her into tears. It had been made with the best intentions. He felt truly terrible about upsetting her.

Yet a talent such as hers _did_ belong in the palace, under the pharaoh's careful guard. Music was a gift from the gods as were the people who created it. Who better to watch over them than the gods' direct link with the people?

"Very sad," Karem told him. "She doesn't want to leave home."

"Very understandable," Genubath nodded, feeling torn. On one hand, he wanted her to be where she belonged, at the very center of Egypt's cultural scene. Talent like hers was meant to be shared. Yet on the other, he didn't want to rip the girl from her family if it was going to be too traumatic for her. That would be very wrong and cruel.

"This is all she knows," he continued. "Perhaps I was foolish to make an offer as I did without consulting you first. Maybe if I had known that it would upset her-"

"It wouldn't have made a difference," Rekhmire cut him off. "Just about everything upsets her. She's extremely sensitive and has a tendency to badly misunderstand things. She hears something, gets the wrong impression, and becomes very depressed."

"How awful," Genubath commented. "And how sad for her."

"It is," Karem agreed. "She first exhibited this behavior when she was three and it has continued to this day. This incident is the perfect example. She saw Rekhmire and I become happy when you made your offer and immediately decided that it was because we wanted to get rid of her. She became convinced that we didn't love her and never had."

"But why would she even think such a thing?" Genubath questioned, baffled by the idea. "How could she draw that conclusion?"

"That's a question we've been asking ourselves for years," Karem informed him. "No one knows. I doubt Nefer-Tina herself even does. So now do you understand why we have never pushed her to leave home?"

"Though we've always hoped that she'd marry into a well-off family," Rekhmire added. "That way, she'd have her own life yet still be protected."

"We fear that she wouldn't survive on her own," Karem said.

"I agree," Genubath nodded. "She wouldn't. Not with her strange ideas. I have to admit that I'm surprised she isn't married. She's certainly beautiful enough. I take it she doesn't even have a suitor?"

"No man has ever shown an interest in her," Karem admitted. "She's...different from most young women and men don't find that attractive."

"Their loss," Genubath decided. "Though you'd have to wonder how she'd even handle a man's advances."

"I don't think that would be a problem," Rekhmire said. "She's one of the friendliest and most outgoing people you'll ever meet. It's only the things she overhears that she misinterprets."

"It would be a miracle if that ever happened," Karem commented. "In fact, it would be a miracle if she even had a friend her own age."

"Not even one?" Genubath was surprised. _The poor child,_ he thought. "But she does have some friends?"

"All the workers and their families adore her," Rekhmire assured him. "She was practically raised by one of them. She even worked the fields herself for many years. She loved it."

"And now she sings and plays the lute like no one I've ever seen." Genubath shook his head in amazement. "Your daughter is rather incredible."

"We both think so too," Karem smiled. "You have no idea how hard it was for her when she became a woman and was no longer allowed to work with her friends."

"I can imagine," Genubath said. "I assume that's when she was taught the lute?"

"Yes," Karem confirmed. "It was our intention to provide her with a skill to support herself with if she ever left home."

"Although we've known for a long time that she'd never go off of her own free will, we wanted her to be prepared in the event she ever surprised us and did," Rekhmire went on. "We prayed every night that she would somehow be discovered by someone who could provide her with the opportunity to be recognized for the talent that she is and that she would be taken care of and given the kind of life she deserves."  
"She may not realize it, but life on a farm is too ordinary for her," Karem said. "As Rekhmire said, the gods must have sent you to us. By showing up at our door, you have given her the chance to live the life she's meant to live."

"Are you sure she can handle it?" Genubath wanted to know. He himself didn't think so anymore after learning about her sensitivities. The matrons watching over the girls were harsh critics and their comments could be taken as hurtful, especially by Nefer-Tina. "When I made the offer, I didn't know about her...difficulties."

"She'll adapt," Karem assured him. "She's very resilient. It will be difficult in the beginning, but she'll be fine. Trust me. I know my daughter."

"You're sure?" Genubath pressed. He did not want to place this girl into a life of misery because of his rash offer.

"We're very sure," Rekhmire said. "Please, give our child the life she deserves."

"I will," Genubath finally agreed. "She will become known by all of Egypt.

"I guarantee it."

((((())))))

Nefer-Tina dragged her feet as she followed behind Mama, Papa, and Genubath. The dreaded day had finally arrived and she was doing everything possible to stretch out her last remaining moments at home. Because once she was in Genubath's wagon, there was no turning back.

She sighed, resigned to the fate her parents had decided was "best" for her.

She still didn't understand their reasoning. According to Mama, she was "special" (she wasn't) and she "deserved to be someplace as special" as she was (whatever that meant). For some reason, Mama and Papa thought their farm wasn't good enough for her and couldn't give her "the kind of life" she supposedly deserved. None of it made any sense to her, but they were set on getting their way. She was going to be a palace musician and that was final.

_At least the trip won't be too bad,_ she conceded. The past three days had given her a chance to get to know Genubath and his companions. It turned out that they were all very nice, including Genubath himself. (He had even gone out of his way to personally apologize to her for upsetting her, which had surprised her. That had led to a conversation in which she had learned, amazingly, that they had some things in common.) Everyone was genuinely friendly and had interesting stories to tell. She could definitely count them among her friends. She hoped everyone in the palace was as nice and friendly as they were.

Her biggest fear was that she was going to be all alone. She was used to being in a place where everyone knew, or at least knew of, everybody. A royal palace, from what she had been told, was huge with countless numbers of people coming and going every day. What if she couldn't make any friends? What would she do if she had no one to talk to? How was she going to survive, period?

The only kind of life she knew was the one she was leaving behind. She had never been away from the farm once. Her entire world consisted of her parents' land and everything and everyone on it. She had no idea of what she would find once she reached Memphis. And that scared her.

A lot.

Until now, her life had been one endless routine, the same thing day in and day out. It was comfortable and she liked it. She was very happy with the repetition. She did not need whatever it was her parents thought she needed. But there was nothing she could do about it, was there?

She sighed once more, wishing there was a spell she could cast to make everything right again.

"Gee, someone looks happy today," Raia commented as he caught up with her. He had someone's travel bags in his arms as he was helping to pack the caravan along with the rest of the farm workers.

"You think?" she retorted. "See how happy you'd be if you were in my place."

"If you had my parents? You'd be running _ahead_ of the wagons," he informed her. "Ugh," he shivered. "I hate being reminded of my childhood!"

"Come on," she laughed. "It couldn't have been _that_ bad."

"Wanna bet?"

Raia's parents had apparently been a little too overprotective for his tastes. He loved them, but they drove him crazy. So as soon as he was old enough, he had made a run for it, working for whomever would hire him as well as learning charioteering. He still got letters from his parents, each one bemoaning the fact that he was out all alone in "the dark, cold world". Raia shared them with everyone, declaring that they served as "great entertainment for the masses."

"Okay, you win," she waved him off.

"Of course," he grinned. "Seriously though, your parents think that they're doing a good thing for you. They think you'll feel like you've died and gone through the Western Gate when you get to Memphis."

"I know," she said. "That's why I haven't been sitting in my room crying like I've wanted to. I know how much this means to them. I just don't know why." She sighed for a third time. "Parents, huh?"

"You said it," he agreed. His smile then turned sly. "Hey, think there's any chance you might actually like being a palace musician? Even a tiny bit?"

"There's _always_ a chance," she conceded, "but from the way Genubath makes it sound, I'm hardly going to have time to think. The matrons are very strict and want their musicians to be perfect. It's nothing but practice, practice, practice all day long."

"Ooh, sounds fun," Raia decided.

"If you say so," she said.

"You two better not be up to something," Mehy's voice called to them.

Nefer-Tina turned towards the sound. "Us? Not a thing. Right, Raia?" she grinned.

"What she said," Raia added.

"Uh-huh," Mehy commented as he reached them. He had an armload of travel bags just like Raia. "And don't you have a caravan to catch, young lady?"

"Don't remind me," she groaned. "I wish I didn't have to go."

"I know and I wish you didn't either, but you do. So don't make this any harder than it has to be," Mehy said. "And who knows? Maybe it won't be so bad."

"Ugh, you sound like Raia," she told him.

"I'm so proud!" Raia cried happily. "All my years of hard work are finally bearing fruit."

"I'm going to ignore that," Mehy told him.

"But you won't be able to forget it," Raia decided. "My words are powerful."

Nefer-Tina giggled. "You two!" She then grew serious. "I'm going to miss both of you so much."

"And we're going to miss you, sweetie," Mehy replied. "You've been like a daughter to both of us."

"Yeah," Raia agreed. "We love you, kiddo."

"Aww," she blushed. "I love you too." She moved towards them, opening her arms.

Knowing what she wanted, both men stepped into the hug.

Nefer-Tina smiled as she embraced the two most important people in her life other than her parents.

"Nefer-Tina!" Mama's voice called from somewhere up ahead. "It's time to go, baby!"

She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to ignore what was going to happen next.

"Come on, darling!" Mama called again. "Everyone's waiting for you!"

"I hate this," Nefer-Tina groaned, releasing Mehy and Raia. "It's not fair."

"Maybe not, but as your mother said, it's time to go," Mehy pointed out. "Are you ready?"

"No," she admitted. "I don't think I ever will be."

Mehy chuckled. "When are we ever?"

"She's with us!" Raia called back to Mama.

Taking one last look at the world of her childhood, Nefer-Tina took a deep breath and looked both men in the eyes.

"Let's go."

((((())))))

"Welcome to Memphis," Genubath announced as he drove his wagon into a place Nefer-Tina could not have imagined in her wildest dreams.

"Gods," she breathed, her eyes wide as they struggled to take in the unusual sight.

People! Lots and lots of _people!_ She had never seen so many before in her entire life! All in one place!

Young people. Old people. Men, women, children. People in every size and shape imaginable (and some not so imaginable). They were everywhere!

The only downside was the noise. It was deafening. Her ears were overwhelmed by the constant bombardment and she couldn't make out what sound was coming from where. The urge to cover up her ears was strong.

"Is it always this loud?" she asked Genubath, not knowing if she could stand it for very long. Home had never sounded like this! She did not like this at all.

What had Mama and Papa sent her into?

He chuckled. "I should have warned you. Your parents told me that you'd never been to a city before."

"I've never been _anywhere_ before," she corrected him. _And I never wanted to go anywhere either!_

"Don't worry," he told her with a knowing smile. "You'll get used to the noise. It'll just take a little time, that's all."

"You're joking, right?" she asked incredulously. How could _anyone_ get used to it? It was hurting her ears!

He laughed softly. "You've only been in the city for a couple of minutes. No one can get used to anything that fast!" He patted her on the thigh. "It will get better for you. I promise." He gave her another smile. "I think there's a city girl in you just waiting to come out."

Nefer-Tina didn't agree, but didn't say anything.

There was no city girl in her. She was a farm girl through and through. It was all she knew and all she wanted to know. She didn't belong here. She didn't belong in the palace as a court musician. She belonged back at home with Mama, Papa, Mehy, and Raia.

_What am I doing here?_ she asked the gods once again.

_Why is this happening to me?_

((((())))))

Nefer-Tina knew she must have looked ridiculous walking around with her mouth hanging open, but she couldn't help herself. She had never seen anything like this in her life!

The palace was humongous! She still hadn't gotten over the shock of the size of the stables alone. Three of the ones at home could fit into a single one here! And then there was the hallway she and Genubath were currently being led through. She bet it was longer than her entire house!

The two of them were being taken to see Selkis, the head matron in charge of the court musicians. In other words, the woman into whose care she was about to be entrusted.

According to Genubath, Selkis was the harshest and most critical of all the matrons. All the others bowed to her will. Among the musicians and those associated with them, the word of Selkis was law. No one questioned her and she answered to no one but the pharaoh himself.

Nefer-Tina's entire future rested on impressing this powerful stranger.

A wave of nervousness and fear passed over her at the thought and she shuddered, clutching her lute even tighter against herself.

At last, the seemingly endless hall came to a halt in front of a large door.

"Wait here," the guard who had escorted them ordered before disappearing.

Nefer-Tina's level of fear and nervousness shot up.

She was here. Any moment now, Selkis would appear and she would have to play for her. Unless Selkis was as amazed as Genubath had been, she would be going home. (How she wished she could, but she knew how devastated Mama and Papa would be if she did. They were the only reason she was going along with this so willingly.) So she had to sing and play better than she ever had before.

It was the only way to ensure that she would be selected.

"Just relax," Genubath encouraged, obviously having noticed her nervousness. "You'll be fine. Because once Selkis hears you play, there will be no question that you belong here."

"Is that so?" a new voice wanted to know.

She looked up to see a woman walking through the door and was immediately intimidated.

Nefer-Tina had never before laid her eyes on such a person. She was incredibly elegant. Her clothing and jewelry alone must have cost more than the farm earned in years. Her hair was perfect, without a single strand out of place. Her very presence filled the room.

"Who is this girl that so unquestioningly belongs here?" the woman who could only be Selkis asked. Her expression was neutral while her words held a hint of challenge.

"And hello to you too, Selkis," Genubath greeted her. "It's been a while."

"Indeed it has," she nodded. "You only seem to come when you have yet another girl that you want me to hear." She looked Nefer-Tina up and down.

Nefer-Tina didn't like the way Selkis was studying her. She had a bad feeling about it.

_Please let her want to hear me play._

"What can I say? I'm a busy man," Genubath informed her. "But have I ever been wrong about one of my girls?"

"Not all have lived up to your praise," Selkis pointed out, her gaze meeting Nefer-Tina's.

Nefer-Tina looked away as quickly as possible and wished she could disappear right then and there. Selkis was making her feel very uncomfortable. She was worse than Genubath had made her sound. She felt like she was already being judged.

"You've never heard anyone quite like this," Genubath promised, placing a comforting hand on Nefer-Tina's shoulder. "I guarantee it."

"Really? Well, I must say I don't recall you ever being this confident about one of your finds before." She began to walk around them. "You must believe her to be very special."

"She is," Genubath told her, his hand still tightly gripping Nefer-Tina's shoulder. "Her skills are unparalleled."

Nefer-Tina felt herself begin to tremble despite Genubath's soothing hand as Selkis continued to circle them. She squeezed her eyes shut and prayed for the torture to end.

_Just let me play already!_

The footsteps came to a stop directly behind her.

_Oh, gods! Oh, gods!_

"Is what he says true?" Selkis demanded to know. "Are you as 'special' as he claims you are?"

Nefer-Tina was at once overcome with panic. She didn't know what to do. How could she answer such a question? She wasn't special at all and once Selkis knew the truth, she'd be immediately turned away.

"Well? I'm waiting," Selkis informed her.

_Oh, gods!_ she mentally wailed again.

"Nefer-Tina," Genubath suddenly spoke up, releasing her shoulder.

She looked at him, grateful for the interruption.

He pointed to the pile of cushions across the room. "Why don't you go and warm up over there? Okay?"

She numbly nodded and started walking away from Selkis as quickly as she could manage without appearing to be running.

_I'm not going to be accepted,_ she realized, feeling Selkis' eyes burning into her back. _I've already blown it._

_I'm sorry, Mama and Papa._

((((())))))

When he was sure Nefer-Tina was out of hearing range, Genubath said, "There are a few things you need to know about Nefer-Tina before this can go any further. She's not the type you're used to dealing with."

"Obviously," Selkis told him. "I've never seen such fear in a musician before. They're usually so outspoken and overconfident. A result of their spoiled upbringing, I suppose. So why is this girl so different?"

"I'd say it has something to do with the fact that she was raised on a farm," Genubath informed her. "She was taught to play by her mother rather than some old music tutor."

"You can't be serious," she decided. "A farm? And you brought her to me?"

"Why not? Her playing's incredible," he said. "She belongs here."

"Impossible," Selkis scoffed. "No farm girl's playing can equal the skills of anyone chosen as a palace musician. All of our current girls were tutored by the best teachers money can buy. No farmer's wife can teach as well as any of them."

"You haven't yet heard her play. How can you pass judgment?"

"Easily," Selkis informed him. "Her upbringing alone says she's not good enough."

"I'm surprised at you, Selkis," Genubath commented. "When did you become such a snob?"

"Snobbery has nothing to do with it," she said. "It's called experience, something I know you have. You've been around a little longer than I have. Since when has a girl trained by her mother been as talented as the girls we employ?"

"If I'm the one with more experience, you should trust my judgment," he suggested. "I wouldn't be here with her if I didn't believe her to be qualified. When I say her skills are incredible, I truly mean it. I've never heard anyone as good. And you know I wouldn't make something like that up."

"No, not normally," she conceded, "but I've never seen you so defensive about anyone before. It begs the question of where you met her and why you're so determined that she be chosen."

"Because it's her only chance of making a life for herself," he informed her.

"Is that so? And why is that?"

"Nefer-Tina has a few...problems that set her apart from other girls her age," Genubath began. "She has a tendency to, how shall I put this, jump to the worst possible conclusion before getting the full story."

"What does that mean?"

"It means she'll hear a partial conversation and misunderstand the meaning of it without bothering to find out the truth," he elaborated. "The perfect example is from when I first heard her play. Which, by the way, was on her parents' farm. She's sixteen and this is her first time away from home. Anyway, I declared I believed that she was good enough to join the palace musicians. Her parents became excited and thanked me. I'll tell you why later. Anyway, Nefer-Tina interpreted this excitement as joy of getting rid of her and that they had never loved her. Does that clear things up for you?"

"Excuse me? Never loved her? What?"

"According to her parents, she's had that tendency since she was three years old," he continued, mentally smiling at Selkis' normally hidden compassion shining through. "She's become convinced on several occasions that they no longer loved her. They feared she would never be able to start a life of her own away from the farm because of this problem. That's why when I assured them that she was good enough to be one of your girls, they were so happy.

"Her mother taught her music in the hopes that she would one day leave home and try to establish herself somewhere though she and her husband doubted it would happen. They saw my offer as her only chance of leaving the farm. No man had ever shown an interest in her, unbelievable as that seems, so they knew they couldn't count on marrying her off."

"I-I don't know what to say." Selkis was visibly shaken by this, a sign that he had gotten through to her.

Selkis wasn't the cruel woman he had told Nefer-Tina she was. That was his way of preparing her for Selkis' act that she always put on for the public. He had known her for many years, even courted her for a few a long time ago. She could care very deeply and had been a wonderful friend to him. She only pretended to be hard because she had learned over the years that cool authority was given more weight than a gentle, caring leader, especially if the leader in question was a woman.

"Don't say anything," he urged. "Just hear her play. If you still don't think she's good enough, which I doubt, I'll bring her back home and you'll never hear from her again."

"How could you do that to her parents?" Selkis asked, at last allowing her concern to leak fully into her voice. "Or to her? She has to be chosen, no matter what."

"I'm glad that you finally see things my way," Genubath smiled. "You won't be sorry. I promise. She is _that_ good."

"Oh, really?" Selkis pulled herself up to her complete height, her expression becoming neutral once more.

"I will be the judge of that."

((((())))))

"There are a lot of things you will have to learn over the next few weeks," Selkis instructed the still-dazed and confused Nefer-Tina as she led her down another passageway, "but don't be discouraged if you don't get them all right away. That will take time. It's more important that you focus on your music."

Nefer-Tina was listening but she was having a hard time concentrating on what she was being told. Her mind was too busy spinning from what had just happened.

She still couldn't believe it. She had been chosen! Selkis had chosen _her!_ Even after the disastrous beginning of the audition! It was a miracle! But the most miraculous thing of all was the way Selkis was treating her: she was being nice!

Nefer-Tina didn't understand it. Genubath had told her that Selkis was anything _but_ nice. (According to him, she was the matron that everybody feared.) So why was she being so nice and friendly to her, someone she had just met? (Should she even be questioning it?)

"I'm taking you to join the other girls now because you have your first performance tomorrow morning," Selkis continued as they turned a corner. "The pharaoh and his hunting party will be returning this evening from their week-long hunt. Tomorrow there will be a large gathering at court to welcome them home. It is tradition for the court musicians to give a performance at these functions.

"Normally I wouldn't include a new musician, but I have a feeling that you will be able to learn the pieces before the morning," she went on. "Genubath said your mother told him that you're a quick study and are able to pick things up almost immediately."

Nefer-Tina nodded. It was true. She _was_ a quick study, always had been. It was something she was proud of. It was why she had learned field work, chariots, and music so quickly.

"I will warn you that the other girls are not going to be happy with the arrangement," Selkis went on. "They aren't used to a newcomer being given status equal to that of the more experienced musicians. Status is very important to them. They are the children of the rich and have been raised to think that status is everything. So don't be alarmed if they treat you poorly at first. Once they get over it, they'll be more welcoming towards you."

"Yes, ma'am," Nefer-Tina nodded again, feeling uneasy about what she had just been told. If the other girls were going to be like that over something as minor as status...

"Here we are," Selkis announced as they arrived at a set of double doors. "Behind these doors is your new home."

A new wave of nervousness passed through Nefer-Tina. This was it. She was about to see where she would probably be spending the rest of her life and meeting the people with whom she would be sharing it.

_Please let them like me._

"From now on," Selkis continued, "you will be spending the majority of your time in these chambers. You life will be here. Everything you need or desire will be provided for you. All you have to do is ask. Other than leaving for performances, there will be no need for you to ever go through these doors."

"Why?" Nefer-Tina wanted to know. Growing up on a farm, freedom, fresh air, and sunlight had been important parts of her life. She was used to being able to go where she wanted when she wanted. (Well, except during her bleeding time. But that was only once a month and she had gotten used to it.) The concept of always being confined to a single space was foreign to her.

"It is for your protection," Selkis explained. "Living in a large city, especially within a palace, is nothing like you're used to. You come from a farm where everyone knows everyone else, correct?"

Nefer-Tina nodded since it was mostly true.

"Things are very different here," Selkis continued. "There are far more people in the palace alone than on your parents' farm. And since no one can know everyone, that means some of them can be dangerous, especially to unmarried maidens such as yourself. So to keep you and the other musicians safe, we prefer for all of you to remain in here where we can keep an eye on you at all times. It is the same in all branches of servants in the palace.

"However, we cannot forbid you from leaving if you want," Selkis informed her. "That is up to you. But we do enforce a strict curfew. You must be in your private sleeping quarters by sundown. That is the rule. It was decreed by a pharaoh long ago. You are then not allowed to come back out until a matron comes to get you."

"Yes, ma'am," Nefer-Tina nodded, feeling a little better. Since it was not forbidden from leaving the chambers, she knew it was okay for her to do some exploring of her new home. Besides, she loved to go for daily walks.

Selkis turned a door handle. "Are you ready?"

"Yes, ma'am," Nefer-Tina repeated, taking a deep breath.

_This is it. Please let them like me._

"Stay close behind me," Selkis ordered as she pushed the door open. "This way."

Nefer-Tina followed her in and gasped.

She found herself standing in one of the largest and most lavish rooms she had ever seen. It was absolutely beautiful. Colorful rugs covered the floor while intricately woven tapestries draped the walls. Cushions, chairs, and couches were everywhere. Every comfort imaginable could be found.

In the center of the room were several different people. There were three older women and six young ones sitting on large cushions. The six were holding musical instruments. All nine were dressed similarly to Selkis, making Nefer-Tina painfully aware of her simple woven clothing.

"Ladies," Selkis called out as she approached them, Nefer-Tina trailing slightly behind. "I will have your attention now."

They all stopped what they were doing and turned to Selkis.

"We have just received a new addition to our ranks," she announced. "I would like to introduce you to Nefer-Tina." She turned to look at Nefer-Tina and motioned for her to come forward. "Come where they can see you, child."

Swallowing nervously, Nefer-Tina obeyed.

"You can't be serious," one of the seated girls burst out. "_That_ is going to be joining us? Are you mad?"

The other girls began to laugh and make sounds of agreement.

Nefer-Tina was too startled to feel anything.

"Tabes!" Selkis scolded. "How dare you!"

"How dare I what?" Tabes shot back. "Just look at her. She isn't fit to be one of us. Those clothes say it all. Where did you find her?"

Nefer-Tina wanted to die right then and there. Her worst fears had come true.

They hated her.

"That's enough, Tabes!" Selkis cried. "I don't want to hear another word from you. You're out of line."

"Really? I'm not the one who looks like she just came from a barn."

The other girls, obviously all Tabes's friends, laughed.

"You will be silent!" Selkis commanded. "All of you!"

The chatter immediately died down, but Tabes retained her smug expression.

"I'm ashamed of you girls," Selkis informed them. "You dare question my judgment about who can and cannot be one of you? Have you all come down with a sudden case of amnesia? Or did you just forget who was in charge here?"

Nefer-Tina fought the urge to start crying. She was devastated. She had not said a word and already she was hated. Why did everyone always hate her?

"As I was going to say before I was so rudely interrupted," Selkis went on, glaring at Tabes, "Nefer-Tina plays the lute. She also sings, but as we are an instrumental group, she will not be using that particular talent. She is very highly skilled, which is why she will be joining you for tomorrow's performance."

"What?" another girl protested. "But s-she's new!"

"True, but she's also a very quick study and an excellent musician," Selkis pointed out. "I think the lot of you could learn a thing or two from her."

"Not likely," Tabes snorted.

"I expect all of you to treat her with the respect she deserves," Selkis went on. "Nothing less will be tolerated. She is one of you now. The fact that she comes from a farm rather than a rich family shouldn't have anything to do with her playing ability."

One of the girls made a loud sound at that.

"Nait," Selkis called.

One of the older women stepped forward.

"Please bring a cushion for Nefer-Tina."

"Yes, ma'am," Nait bowed and went over to one of the many cushions strewed throughout the room. She picked it up and brought it over to where the girls were seated, putting it down by one of the girls who hadn't spoken yet.

The girl, giving Nefer-Tina a sneer, pushed the cushion away from her.

Nefer-Tina tried to keep from crying.

_This_ was her worst nightmare. She would be all alone just as she had feared. Why was it always this way?

"Have a seat right there," Selkis instructed her.

Not even bothering to nod, Nefer-Tina did as she was told. She lowered herself to the cushion and placed her lute, which she had been clutching the entire time, in her lap.

"Now we are ready to begin," Selkis decided. "Nait, Shesh, Reonet. Take your proper positions behind the girls."

The three women scurried to their places.

"Let us begin..."

((((())))))

Nefer-Tina rolled over and tried closing her eyes again, hoping _this_ time she'd fall asleep.

She'd been having a horrible night. She hadn't been able to fall asleep once! And it was all because she had to play for the pharaoh tomorrow morning. The pharaoh!

She was so afraid. What if she messed up? What if she forgot which song was which? What if she forgot how to play altogether? What would Selkis do to her? What would the _pharaoh_ do to her?

She sat up with a sigh, finally admitting to herself that she wouldn't be able to sleep at all.

The reality of her new life was worse than her imagination had ever made it out to be. How was she ever going to survive?

Feeling sad, lonely, and confused, she began to cry.

It didn't take long before she had sobbed herself to sleep.

((((())))))

Tia was awakened by the bright sunlight shining into her eyes. Rolling over onto her side, she smiled as remembered what day it was.

_Today's the day Ja-Kal comes home._

She sat up in bed and stretched, a warm feeling coming over her.

It would be good to finally see Ja-Kal again. She had missed his company, brief and sporadic as it was these days. He'd been away for two weeks as a member of the pharaoh's personal hunting party on his annual trip. It was the second year in a row he had been chosen.

What sweet, ignorant Ja-Kal didn't realize was just how incredible it was for him to have been chosen. He had only been in the pharaoh's service for three years. For him to be noticed within his first year of service spoke very highly of his abilities. Most hunters waited all of their lives for their pharaoh to notice their skill. And only the most elite members of the royal hunters ever went on the annual hunt.

Yet another sign that she had been right in choosing him.

When he had first been picked last year, Tia had been ecstatic. Ja-Kal, of course, had only felt honored and nothing more. (The poor man was very short-sighted and lacked ambition.) He hadn't seen the far-reaching effects that Tia did. It meant that Amenhotep had noticed him. And if Amenhotep had noticed him once, it would happen again. And often. And that meant that Tia was that much closer to her goal of power.

Of course, that is, if Ja-Kal would _marry_ her already.

She sighed. What was it going to take to get him to ask her to marry him?

Ja-Kal was a lot of things, but observant was obviously not one of them. She had been dropping hints about marriage for years, but he had yet to pick up on one. She was getting quite annoyed with his cluelessness. Sometimes he made her question her determination to stay with him.

Yes, he was kind, considerate, loving, all of the things a woman could possibly desire in a man, but none of those were the reasons she had chosen him. _She_ had picked him as her future husband because she knew that he would go far in life. She had known early on that he would leave their village and become well-known throughout Egypt. _That_ was why she had introduced herself to him all those years ago. _That_ was why she had made sure she was the only woman he would ever love.

And she had succeeded. Perhaps a little too well. The love Ja-Kal had for her was blind and all-consuming. When he loved, he loved with every fiber of his being. Sometimes she found his love to be a bit too smothering for her tastes.

She loved him too, of course, but not in the same way that he loved her. That kind of love was impossible for her. There were too many things about him that she could do without. Instead, she loved things about him. For example, she loved his abilities and his good looks. She loved the ease in which he made friends and connections. Most of all, she loved his potential for success. It was what had attracted her to him in the first place.

She wanted a husband that would go far and, by default of marriage, take her with him. Ja-Kal had been the only boy in the village with that potential. It was unfortunate that he had qualities that annoyed her, such as his honor and his devotion to duty. He was rather dull because of them. Loving, but dull. Truthfully, he bored her. But despite these drawbacks, she stayed with him. She needed him too badly to ever let him go.

She got out of bed and began rummaging through her chests for something to wear. She wanted to look spectacular when she went to greet Ja-Kal after the formal ceremonies ended. It was always important to her to make sure he had eyes only for her when she was in the room. She had to protect her interests.

As she searched for the perfect outfit, she came to a decision. She was tired of waiting for him to notice all of her hinting. It was time to take matters into her own hands.

She would not rest until Ja-Kal was her husband.

((((())))))

Ja-Kal glanced up at the sky and determined that he was much earlier than he needed to be.

_Good,_ he thought. _It will give me a chance to talk to Pharaoh about Arakh._

His brother had demonstrated a disturbing habit throughout the entire trip, one Ja-Kal knew their father would be ashamed of. They had been taught to be quick and merciful with their prey. "A clean kill demonstrates a delicate control of your weapon," their father had drilled into them. Or, at least, he had drilled into Ja-Kal. Arakh had been doing just the opposite. He had only been wounding his prey and then slowly torturing them to death.

Just the memory of it made Ja-Kal sick. What had Arakh been thinking? Had he even _been_ thinking? Animals were sacred to the gods and to hunt them was a privilege. Their deaths were supposed to be honorable. What Arakh had been doing was sacrilege. And the way he had been doing it...

He had tried to talk to Arakh the first time he caught him doing it, but Arakh had immediately attacked him, once again ranting about how their father liked Ja-Kal best. (Where Arakh had gotten this from, Ja-Kal would never know. Father had treated them both the same.) Arakh had not allowed him to get in more than a word edgewise and then it had been one that had nothing to do with the situation at hand. So Ja-Kal had decided that he would stop trying to reason with his brother himself and instead bring his concerns to Amenhotep. If anyone could possibly get through to Arakh, it would be the pharaoh.

However, Ja-Kal felt...uncomfortable bringing this before Amenhotep. After all, it had been at his insistence that Arakh be included in this year's hunt. Arakh had not even been in the pharaoh's service six months, so he had taken a great risk in asking. It had been sheer luck that Amenhotep had agreed to let him come. (Ja-Kal had hoped it would be a way of bringing them closer. He hated the rift that had suddenly formed between them all those years ago. Amenhotep had understood, which is why he had made the exception.) Now Ja-Kal would have to admit that he had made a mistake. He prayed to the gods that Amenhotep would not be too angry with him.

Of course, Amenhotep had been unavailable during the entire trip. Even when Ja-Kal was close to him, he could not say anything because Arakh was nearby as well. So he had decided to wait until they returned to Memphis.

Now they were back and Ja-Kal knew this would be his only chance. They had returned so late last night and everyone had been exhausted. He had even been too tired to go and see Tia, whom he had desperately missed. (He loved her so much.) And the welcome home ceremonies were due to start in a few hours. Now was his only window of opportunity to speak about his worries.

He did not live far from the palace and he was soon walking through its gates. The guards greeted him with a nod, recognizing him as one of the royal hunters.

_Now,_ he thought, turning down the hallway that would lead him to his destination, _to speak to Pharaoh._

((((())))))

Nefer-Tina tried to quiet her shaking hands by clutching her lute even more tightly than she already was, but that did nothing for the rest of her. She was scared sick. Her stomach was roiling and she felt like vomiting. On top of that, she was exhausted from lack of sleep. How in the names of all the gods was she going to get through this?

She and her new "companions", none of which had said a word to her this morning though they had made rude comments _about_ her, were lined up outside the doors to the throne room. Selkis and the other matrons stood before them.

"You'll play exactly as we discussed," Selkis was instructing. "No deviations. The eight pieces we practiced are _all_ you are going to perform. Do we understand each other?"

"Yes, Selkis," all the musicians, Nefer-Tina included, replied.

They had spent all of yesterday and all of this morning going over the songs they were going to play. Nefer-Tina had learned them quickly, much to her own relief. (They were rather simple, unlike some of the pieces Mama had taught her.) Now she feared forgetting them as soon as the doors in front of her opened.

_Gods help me,_ she prayed. _Let me get through this._

"Good," Selkis nodded. "Then I will see you after you are finished. Shesh will be accompanying you and giving you your cues. Reonet, Nait. Open the doors."

The two younger matrons pushed open the double doors and Nefer-Tina almost lost her breakfast at what she saw beyond them.

There were people. _Hundreds_ of people! All closely pressed together and talking loudly. The sight was overwhelming. Just the idea of going in there made her ill.

She felt herself begin to sway, but quickly steadied herself. She _had_ to get through this. She _had_ to be perfect. It was the only way to prove herself to the other girls, especially Tabes.

"All right, farm girl," Tabes whispered as if reading her mind, "let's see if you're as good in public as you were behind closed doors. Don't humiliate us."

Nefer-Tina swallowed nervously and tried to ignore the intense nausea she was feeling.

"Go," Selkis ordered.

_Gods help me survive this._

Shesh made a waving motion and led them into the room. Didiu, the eldest musician, was at the head of the line. Without hesitation, she followed Shesh into the crowd.

Feeling her shaking worsen, Nefer-Tina followed without looking anywhere but straight in front of her.

She felt trapped as she passed through the room. She was not used to being so close to other people, especially people she didn't know. Where she came from, everyone and everything was very spread out. No one crowded anyone. She wished she could just shut her eyes until the whole thing was over.

Shesh brought them to the very front of the room where a large number of cushions had been put down for them.

Nefer-Tina's breath caught as she realized how close they must be to the pharaoh himself.

_I have to get through this. Please let me get through this._

Shesh gestured towards the pillows. "Quickly now. Take your places. The pharaoh is almost done honoring his hunters. We will begin as soon as he's finished."

The other girls silently piled onto the cushions. Nefer-Tina, however, held back until they were all settled. She wanted to make sure she was as far away from Tabes as possible.

Thankfully, Tabes placed herself at the head of their group. With relief, Nefer-Tina sank down onto a pillow behind the others. She rested her lute on her lap and looked to Shesh for further instructions.

Shesh's attention, however, was trained elsewhere.

Afraid of what she might see, but too curious not to look, Nefer-Tina glanced in the same direction that Shesh was.

As soon as she saw what Shesh was looking at, she swallowed hard.

There, not ten feet away, was the pharaoh himself. He was saying something that Nefer-Tina could not hear above the noise of the crowd, which was just as well. Seeing him was nerve-wracking enough. And in front of him were a group of men who could only be his hunters.

The hunters' backs were the only things she could see, but she was surprised by the height of one in particular. She had never seen such a tall man in her life. And he was extremely muscular too. He looked like he didn't even need to use a weapon to take down his prey!

The pharaoh's mouth finally stopped moving, which meant he had finished whatever he was telling them. The hunters, including the tall one, bowed deeply. The pharaoh then made a gesture and the hunters turned to face the crowd.

Nefer-Tina's heart skipped a beat and the rest of the world disappeared.

There, before her, was the most handsome man she had ever seen. Unbelievably, it was the incredibly tall hunter she had already been staring at. He was absolutely incredible. She had never seen anyone so beautiful in her life.

Her breath caught in her throat as strange, unfamiliar feelings came over her. Her fears and nervousness of only moments earlier had vanished. All she could think about was the hunter. The incredibly handsome hunter...

Suddenly, nothing else mattered to her. Not being a musician, not pleasing her parents, not anything. All she cared about was that gorgeous stranger standing there. Who was he? What was his name?

"Hey, farm girl!" a voice harshly whispered. "Pay attention!"

Snapping out of whatever trance she had been in, Nefer-Tina looked up to see Tabes and the others glaring at her.

"We're about to start," Tabes hissed. "What were you doing?"

"Nothing," Nefer-Tina whispered back. "I..."

What had happened to her? Never before had she felt anything like _that._ _Ever._ What was it? What did it mean? And, more importantly, why was it so strong?

She risked another glance at him and felt a shiver shoot through her body as her eyes took him in once again.

_What's happening to me?_ she wondered, suddenly feeling more than a little scared. How she wished Mama or Mehy were there to talk to. They would know what was going on. They would explain what was happening to her and why seeing that man was doing this to her. Could something be wrong with her?

Yet, despite her fears, she kind of liked what she was feeling. It was...

"Girls," Shesh interrupted her thoughts. "On my signal..."

Nefer-Tina quickly returned her attention to her true reason for being there. She was here as a palace musician, determined to prove herself to all, especially that nasty Tabes. The mystery of the handsome hunter and his effects on her would have to wait. But could they?

As she started to play, her eyes drifted back to the place where she had first seen him. However, he was no longer there.

An inexplicable despair came over her. Where had he gone? Why couldn't she see him anymore? She felt the urge to jump up and go looking for him...

_What am I doing?_ she scolded herself. _Just play the music!_

_This is for you, my handsome stranger,_ she suddenly decided. _Wherever you are._

Immediately, she found herself playing better than ever before. Her fingers flew from note to note, one by one. She began to relax and allowed herself to become lost in the music. Maybe she would find him there...

((((())))))

_That little slut!_ Tia fumed. How dare she look at Ja-Kal that way! Ja-Kal was hers! _Hers!_

Tia continued to glare at the girl playing the lute. The girl, who could be no more than sixteen or seventeen, had her eyes closed and a stupid smile on her lips.

_Thinking about him, I bet,_ Tia decided. _The whore! If she thinks she's going to lay a finger on him, I'll...I'll..._

She was too upset to finish the thought. Just the idea of that skinny nothing even being _near_ Ja-Kal sickened her. Who did she think she was anyway?

When she had first walked into the room, she had immediately noticed the girl staring stupidly at something. Deciding that the musician had to be an idiot (weren't they all?) for sitting there with her mouth hanging open like that, she had been curious to see what the object of her adoration had been. When she had followed the girl's gaze, she had become infuriated.

The little slut had been staring at Ja-Kal. Ja-Kal who belonged to _her._ Ja-Kal who was going to marry _her._

Normally, she didn't get this worked up over some common trollop showing an interest in Ja-Kal. After all, it happened quite often. (That was the price one paid for choosing a handsome and highly skilled man.) She knew Ja-Kal was too devoted to her and would _never_ cheat. (His annoying honor made sure of that.) It didn't matter what the woman did or promised. Ja-Kal would remain faithful.

However, this girl was different. Tia couldn't quite put her finger on how, but the moment she had realized whom she was staring at, she had _known_ this girl was a threat to her future. A very dangerous threat.

The girl also happened to be a musician, a breed notorious for their way with men. Just because she was a "palace musician" didn't mean she was any less common than those found in taverns. They were all the same, privileged upbringing or not. (Though she had to wonder about this girl in particular. No lady of wealth would so blatantly stare at an object of desire. They had more subtle ways of getting their men.) Musicians were all whores. Everyone knew this.

And if that wasn't bad enough, the girl was very beautiful as well, more beautiful than most of the woman Tia knew or had known. And as hard as it was to admit, more beautiful than she herself was. (Tia knew she had a rare beauty. For someone to surpass her was very unusual. And very infuriating.) Beneath all of his honor, Ja-Kal was still a man. If someone as beautiful as this whore made her intentions known...

She knew she had to do something to stop the girl before she even _tried_ to make a move. Tia felt in the center of her being that if Ja-Kal ever met her, even for an instant, he would be lost to her. She didn't know how she knew. She just _knew._

The girl had to be stopped as soon as possible, before she could even have a chance of getting near Ja-Kal.

She had to be stopped today.

_Now._

((((())))))

Nefer-Tina sighed with relief as Shesh signaled for them to put down their instruments. They had finished all of the eight pieces that they were supposed to play. Now it was finally time for them to return to their chambers. She couldn't get out of there soon enough.

"You were excellent," Shesh praised them. "Selkis will be pleased."

"Looks like you lucked out this time, farm girl," Tabes whispered.

With those words, the relief of having survived this first trial disappeared. She would have to struggle just as hard to make it through whatever came next. Tabes and the others would make sure of it.

"On my signal, I want you to rise up and form a single file line just as you did coming in," Shesh continued. "Your exit should be as orderly as your entrance. Ready?"

With that, Shesh waved her hand and the musicians got to their feet. Again, Nefer-Tina held back and made sure she was the last in line.

"Let's go," Shesh ordered and began walking.

Tabes, who had made sure she was first in line this time, followed close behind.

As she walked, Nefer-Tina attempted to catch one more glimpse of the handsome hunter who had caused such strange feelings in her. But no matter where she looked, she couldn't seem to find him. She wondered where he had disappeared to.

_It's just as well,_ she told herself. _It's not like I could ever talk to him or anything._

Although no one had ever told her this, Nefer-Tina instinctively knew that it was not proper for someone of her class, a poor farm girl, to initiate a conversation with one of her betters. It just didn't seem right to her. After all, what would someone like her have to say to someone like, for example, a royal hunter? They had nothing in common. Besides, a member of the upper class only spoke to a member of her class when they wanted something.

_What could I ever have that he would want anyway?_ she sighed. _I only wish I at least knew his name._

Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she saw him.

He was standing with some other hunters, talking and laughing with them. She was closer to him this time and had a better view of his face. A beautiful smile lit up his handsome features. And his eyes were a startling shade of blue, a deep beautiful shade of blue. Bluer than her own eyes...

_How I wish I could meet you,_ she sighed again.

Reluctantly, she turned her attention back to where she was going...

Only to find herself grabbed by the arm and roughly pulled out of line.

Before she knew what was happening, her back impacted against something hard and there was a sharp slap to her left cheek.

She cried out in pain, bringing a hand to her stinging cheek.

"That's only a taste of what's to come if you don't stay away from him," a woman Nefer-Tina had never before seen in her life informed her. "You little whore. I'm on to you. You won't ever touch him."

"W-what?" Nefer-Tina barely managed. What was she talking about? What was going on? Who _was_ this woman?

"Don't play dumb with me," the woman continued angrily. "I _saw_ you. You were practically drooling. You're so pathetic!"

"Huh?" Nefer-Tina was more confused than ever.

"You can cut the act now, little slut," the woman went on, oblivious to Nefer-Tina's total ignorance of what she was carrying on about. "We both know what I'm talking about. I saw you staring at him. I know what you were thinking...what you wanted."

Suddenly, Nefer-Tina realized what the woman was talking about.

"The hunter," she whispered. _Oh gods!_ Then was this woman...?

"Yes, the 'hunter'," the woman mocked. "Ja-Kal. _My_ lover. _My_ future husband. The man you were so obviously lusting over."

Nefer-Tina's eyes widened in shock. "Lusting?" she repeated in disbelief. "But I-"

"But nothing!" the woman, Ja-Kal's (at least she now knew his name) girlfriend, violently cut her off. "I know all about your kind. You musicians are all whores, sleeping your way to success. You're all too pathetic to get a man the honest way. So you seduce them into your beds and hope that they'll marry you out of sympathy." The woman snorted. "As I said, pathetic."

"But-" Nefer-Tina tried again. How could she get through to this woman? She wasn't lusting after anyone! She would _never_ do what this woman was suggesting. She couldn't help how she felt when she saw Ja-Kal. It just...happened. Maybe there _was_ something wrong with her.

"You picked the wrong man to go after this time, little whore," the woman went on, still not giving Nefer-Tina a chance to defend herself. "Ja-Kal is mine. No one can touch him but me, do you understand? He belongs to me.

"And if I ever catch you even _looking_ at him again..."

The woman slapped Nefer-Tina's other cheek, bringing tears to her eyes.

"Well, let's just say you'll wish you had never been born. Do I make myself clear?"

Nefer-Tina was too shocked and in too much pain to say anything. Instead she began to cry.

The woman snorted. "Pathetic. Get out of my sight."

Nefer-Tina fled the throne room, barely able to see where she was going through the tears.

((((())))))

"Very nicely done," a voice commented.

Tia turned around to see one of the other musicians standing behind her.

"Though I have to say I think you let her off too easy."

"Oh, really?" Tia challenged, eyeing this newcomer up and down.

This one was a little older than the slut she had just frightened off. She also appeared to be made of tougher stuff. (Who wouldn't be? Scaring the girl off had almost been too easy.) Tia wondered what she wanted.

"And just what would you have done in my place?"

"Well, that would depend on what _she_ had done, wouldn't it?" the musician answered coolly. "Though I highly doubt she was after your man. That farm girl's too stupid to come up with a scheme like that."

"Farm girl?" Tia repeated thoughtfully. "That would explain a lot."

"You mean why she just stood there and let you walk all over her?" the musician offered with a smile. Without waiting for an answer, she continued, "I think that has nothing to do with it. She's an idiot to begin with. The gods only know how she managed to get someone to bring her to Selkis for an audition. What I wouldn't give to send her back where she came from."

"And you are?" Tia wanted to know.

"I am Tabes," the first musician Tia had ever liked said with a formal curtsy. "Daughter of Qenymin, personal accountant to Pharaoh Amenhotep himself. I also happen to be the second most senior palace musician.

"Oh and if we're to help each other out, you may want to rethink your opinion of musicians," Tabes went on. "We're not all whores, as you so nicely put it. Some us happen to be just fine with getting prestige on our own."

"What do you mean 'help each other out'?" Tia demanded to know. She had done what she had set out to do. The girl wouldn't be a problem any longer. Why should she bother making a deal?

"Isn't it obvious? Both of us want Nefer-Tina gone," Tabes explained, revealing the name of the slut. "You, to protect your interests. Me, because dirty little farm girls don't belong here."

"I don't think she's going to be a problem for me anymore," Tia waved her off. "She knows that I'll be watching her."

"Fine," Tabes shrugged, "but that still leaves her as a problem for me. No matter what I do, I can't seem to disturb her enough to make her want to leave. You're the first person who's gotten a satisfactory reaction from her. Maybe if you push her enough, she'll go away."

"Why is that so important to you? Why do you hate her so much?"

"It's like I said, farm girls don't belong here," Tabes told her. "Until she came along, all palace musicians have been the daughters of the rich and powerful. It's not right that some puny nothing from a poor family can just show up and magically be made one of us. I mean, how did she even get an audition?"

"She must be good if she was chosen," Tia pointed out, enjoying this. It was strangely comforting to know that she wasn't the only one disturbed by the presence of the little whore named Nefer-Tina.

"Oh, she's good all right. Too good," Tabes said. "Better than all of us, unfortunately."

"Then there's your answer," Tia smirked.

"No, it's not," Tabes insisted. "Someone had to bring her to Selkis. Someone with power had to vouch for her. The question is who and how."

"Maybe she slept with someone," Tia suggested, alluding back to her own reasons for hating the girl.

"Please!" Tabes snorted. "Nefer-Tina wouldn't know how to seduce a man if they were locked in a room together. The gods wasted time when they blessed her with beauty. I've only known her for one day and I can say that with confidence. Your man is safe. Trust me. I'll bet some money passed hands."

"So what's in it for me if I help you?" Tia finally asked, intrigued. Harassing the slut could be a pleasant past time. She had enjoyed her small taste of it. Besides, it would give her something to do while waiting for Ja-Kal to marry her.

"First, what's your name?" Tabes countered.

"Tia."

"Tia, whatever you want will be yours," Tabes informed her. "You scratch my back and I'll massage yours. I have a lot of influence in just the right places. My father's proximity to the pharaoh has been quite helpful over the years."

"Really?" Tia smiled. If that was true, Ja-Kal could move up in the ranks rather quickly.

"Tabes, I think you have yourself a deal."

((((())))))

Ja-Kal smiled as he finally spotted Tia in the crowd. He had been searching for her ever since the ceremony ended. Unfortunately, he had kept getting pulled into various conversations with various groups of people. Now, at last, he had found her.

Even from a distance, he was awed by her beauty, both inside and out. She was such a kind and gentle person and it shone through every move she made. He loved her so much. She had been a good friend long before he had ever seen her in a romantic light. He had been truly blessed by the gods to have her in his life.

As he approached, he could see that she was talking to another woman. They appeared to be in a deep discussion about something. However, before he could reach them, they shook hands and the other woman disappeared.

"I hope that wasn't about me," he said as he came up behind Tia.

"Ja-Kal!" she cried happily as she turned around and saw him. A huge smile formed on her lips. "Welcome home, my love!"

With that, she threw her arms around him and kissed him deeply.

When the kiss ended, he just smiled at her. "I've missed you so much."

"That'll teach you to go away for long periods of time then," she teased. "I've been trying to find you all day. Where have you been?"

"I had to go speak with the pharaoh this morning about a personal matter and then I got caught up in all the preparations for the ceremony," he explained. "Otherwise I would have been at your door at sunrise."

"What did you have to speak with the pharaoh about?" she asked. "Is everything all right?"

"Not here," he told her. "I'll tell you later."

He didn't want to discuss his brother's behavior in public. Arakh's activities had thus far gone unnoticed by the rest of the hunting party. Only he and the pharaoh knew about them. It was not something to be spread around because if it became publicly known, the pharaoh would have no choice but to dismiss Arakh from the royal hunters. And there was no telling what would happen then. No one knew better than Ja-Kal how violent Arakh could become when angered.

"All right," Tia accepted. "So how was the hunt itself?"

"It went very well," he told her. "Pharaoh was pleased with the results."

"And how did Arakh do?"

"Also to be discussed later," he informed her in a deliberate tone. He knew that Tia had been close to Arakh for many years. He had courted her and, for a while, Ja-Kal had been convinced she would choose him instead. The day she had come to him with the news that she loved him instead of Arakh had been one of the happiest of his life. He did not know the current state of their relationship.

Tia nodded in understanding. "That bad?"

"You have no idea," he said.

"Then let's go someplace where we can talk," she suggested. "I want to know everything."

"All right," he agreed. "The gardens?"

"Perfect," she smiled, wrapping both of her arms around his left one. "Lead the way."

They began to walk and Tia laid her head against his arm.

Ja-Kal smiled at the small gesture. It was the little touches like this that he treasured. Every moment he spent with her was special to him.

"So," he said as they headed for the gardens, "who you were talking to back there? You two looked like you were having quite the discussion."

"No one important," she waved him off. "Just a musician."

"And does this unimportant musician have a name?"

"Tabes," she told him. "She's the daughter of Amenhotep's personal accountant."

"Ah. So what were you and Tabes talking about?" he wanted to know. "It had to be something important. I saw you shake hands on whatever it was."

"We share a small annoyance," Tia elaborated. "We've come to an agreement on how to take care of it together. It shouldn't take long to get rid of it."

"I see," he nodded. "Then I wish the two of you the best of luck."

She gave him a strange smile. "Why thank you, my love. How very thoughtful of you."

He was momentarily taken aback by her words and her tone. The way she said that... But he quickly waved it off. Tia was too sweet and gentle-natured to be up to anything nefarious. She didn't have a cruel bone in her body.

_I'm just tired,_ he decided. _It's been a long morning._

"Tell me about your activities while I was away," he changed the subject. "Did you do anything new or different?"

"You already know the answer to that," she said with a laugh. "My days are rather boring when you're not in them."

"Oh, Tia," he sighed. "I wish I could spend more time with you. I really do."

"I know," she told him. "But you have your duties and I know how important they are to you."

"You are always so understanding," he smiled. "Thank you. I love you so much."

"I love you too, my darling," she replied, kissing his arm. "Perhaps one day we'll have more time."

"Perhaps," he agreed. _And we will._

He had told her three years ago that if she came with him to Memphis they would not have much time together. His duties as a member of the royal hunters would have to come first. He was honor-bound to put the wishes of his pharaoh before his own. He had told her he loved her very much, but would understand if she chose to remain in their village.

Tia had surprised him when she had very stubbornly told him that she'd follow him anywhere. She had told him she loved him and could never love another as long as she knew he was alive. He was all that she wanted. Hearing her speak those words had brought him an indescribable joy. They had made him more determined than ever to create a stable environment into which he could bring her when they married.

He knew Tia wanted marriage badly. In fact, she hinted at it on an almost daily basis these days. And as much as he wanted to marry her, too, he knew that it was impossible right now. How could he support a wife, and he hoped one day children, if he could barely support himself? There was more prestige associated with being a royal hunter than there was pay. Until he received a larger sum of money, marriage was out of the question.

Finally, they reached the gardens.

"All right," Tia said once they were sitting on a bench. "I want you to tell me everything."

He nodded.

"I told you how I begged Pharaoh to choose Arakh for the annual hunt. And how I thought it would give us a chance to reconcile whatever it was he thought had gone wrong between us," he began.

She nodded in affirmation.

"I only wanted us to be close again, as we had been as children. It turns out I made a terrible mistake."

"Why? What did he do?"

"Something awful," he told her. "Gods. How can I put this?"

"Just say it," she urged. "Don't try to soften it for me. Remember, I know Arakh almost as well as I know you. I don't think anything would surprise me where he's concerned."

He nodded, realizing she was right. "I caught him torturing animals to death."

Tia's eyes went wide with horror. "What?"

"He wasn't killing them outright like any good hunter would," he went on. "He was wounding them and dragging them to a clearing he had found where he would mutilate them until they died. I only found out what he was doing because he forgot to muzzle one of the animals and I heard its screams and followed them."

"By the gods," Tia breathed.

"That's why I went to talk to the pharaoh this morning," he told her. "I wanted to report his actions in private. What Arakh did...goes against every belief, every law. It _needed_ to be reported. But I couldn't do that in the middle of the hunt, where others could hear. I wanted to resolve it in private, to see if there was a way to punish him without having him dismissed from the service."

"Why?" Tia wanted to know. "He deserves to be for his stupidity. By Ra, that man can be an idiot sometimes."

"How could I do that to him?" Ja-Kal countered. "He's spent his entire life wanting to be a royal hunter. It's what our father wanted for both of us. And you know how he gets when he's upset. There's no telling how he would react if he was dismissed, especially if he knew it was my doing."

"By the gods, Ja-Kal," Tia sighed. "You can't spend your life worrying about his ridiculous convictions that you're out to get him. If he grows up and gets over it, wonderful. If not..." She shrugged. "Don't let him pull you down to his level. Can you help it if you're the better man?"

"Tia..."

She leaned in and kissed his cheek. "So, what did you resolve with Amenhotep?" "The pharaoh decided that instead of open punishment it would be best to keep him confined to inactive duty," he told her. "That way no one would know what had happened and he will be kept from repeating his actions on another hunt."

"Our pharaoh is wise," Tia said. "What he said makes sense."

"I agree," Ja-Kal told her. He sighed. "I wish I knew where I went wrong with Arakh. What did I do to make him hate me so much?"

"Nothing," Tia soothed. "Arakh is delusional. One day I'll tell you what he talked about when he was courting me. It should prove entertaining for you." She kissed him on the lips. "Now then, here we are, all alone in the royal gardens while everyone else is still in the throne room celebrating your successful hunt." She kissed him again. "Whatever are we going to do?"

"I don't know," he answered, kissing her back. "Why don't you tell me?"

"With pleasure."

((((())))))

Nefer-Tina swiftly sat up in bed as a knock came at her door.

"Nefer-Tina?" Selkis's voice called. "All you all right in there?"

Nefer-Tina wiped at her eyes to rid herself of the tears that had yet to stop falling. "I-I'm all right," she lied.

Truthfully, she was anything _but_ all right. She was still shaken from that encounter with Ja-Kal's girlfriend. She had never before been so frightened in her life. She truly believed that the woman would kill her if she even looked at Ja-Kal again.

But would she be able to stop herself if he came into her path? He was just so... And seeing him made her feel so...

The door opened and Selkis entered the room.

"Then why have you hidden yourself in here?" she wanted to know. "Everyone else is celebrating the performance in the main chamber. Why aren't you with them? Aren't you hungry?"

Nefer-Tina shook her head. "I actually don't feel very well," she told her. "I came in here to lie down. Please don't be angry with me."

Selkis came over and sat down on the edge of her bed, which was something Mama often did.

_I miss you so much, Mama._

"I'm not," Selkis promised. "I was just concerned. Shesh mentioned that you disobeyed orders and disappeared from the group, which doesn't sound like you at all. Genubath shared with me your parents' praise of your obedience. I just wanted to make sure nothing had happened."

"I just felt sick after I finished playing," Nefer-Tina said, which was true. She had actually felt sick _before_ playing, but Selkis didn't need to know that. "So I rushed back here to lie down. I'm sorry I didn't say anything. It won't happen again."

"Are you sure that's all it is?" Selkis pursued. "Shesh told me she saw Tabes saying something to you. She's always been a nasty girl. Is she still bothering you? Do you want me to have a word with her about it?"

Nefer-Tina shook her head. She knew from experience that it wouldn't make a difference. Whenever Enehy had talked to Bequet or Tutu, things had only gotten worse. She didn't want to imagine how Tabes would retaliate.

Besides, she could handle the kind of bullying she was getting from Tabes. She was used to it. It was what the other woman was saying that she couldn't bear. The woman who loved Ja-Kal. The woman whose name she didn't know nor wanted to know. The woman who had threatened her life...

"You're sure?" Selkis pressed, sounding unconvinced. "Because I could make it so she never said another word to you again. Just tell me and I'll do it."

"No thank you, Selkis," Nefer-Tina said. "I really just don't feel good. That's all this is. It was more people than I'm used to. I just got overwhelmed."

"All right," Selkis accepted. "Just know that my offer still stands. If anyone is giving you trouble, just tell me. Okay?"

Nefer-Tina nodded.

"Oh, and Shesh told me you were excellent today," Selkis said as she stood up. "Very good. I'm extremely proud of you."

Despite her fear and queasiness, Nefer-Tina couldn't help but smile at the praise.

"T-thank you!"

To be praised by Selkis, according to Genubath, was very, very rare!

"Now then," Selkis smiled. "I want you to rest up and feel better. Tomorrow morning regular practice begins, so I want you feeling your best. If you need anything, just ask any of the servants."

Nefer-Tina nodded again. "Thank you. I will."

"Good girl," Selkis smiled. "Feel better."

With that, she got up and left the room.

Nefer-Tina waited until she was gone before lying back down.

She stared at the ceiling, her mind and emotions all jumbled. She felt new tears welling up to replace the ones she had wiped away.

What was she going to do? She was terrified to go anywhere or do anything. That nameless woman was out there, just waiting and watching to see if she dared look at Ja-Kal. Waiting to kill her...

She squeezed her eyes shut, wishing she would just disappear as her room had.

What was she going to do?

((((())))))

"Good morning, farm girl," Tabes greeted Nefer-Tina as she emerged from her bed chamber with a rather large smile. "Beautiful day, isn't it?"

"I-I guess," Nefer-Tina stammered, taken aback to Tabes's friendliness. What was going on?

"Someone has a visitor," Tabes grinned even wider.

Nefer-Tina just stared at her, confused.

Tabes stepped aside and pointed.

There, standing with a smile even bigger than Tabes's, was the nameless woman.

Ja-Kal's girlfriend.

The one who had threatened her life.

"No..." Nefer-Tina barely whispered.

What was she doing here? How had she found her? What did she want?

"Good morning, Nefer-Tina," the woman said, revealing that she had somehow learned her name. "Did you have a nice night?"

Nefer-Tina was too stunned to try to say anything.

"Tia here has been _dying_ to talk to you all morning," Tabes interjected, finally putting a name to the woman Nefer-Tina feared. "I kept telling her to come back later since Selkis was allowing you to sleep late. Something about your not feeling well, I think it was. But Tia just refused to leave."

"We have so much to talk about," Tia told her. "Don't we...little whore?"

Nefer-Tina swallowed hard and felt herself begin to tremble.

_Oh, gods! Oh, gods! Oh, gods!_

"I'll leave you two alone," Tabes announced. "Don't keep her too long. The farm girl has to be ready for practice in about an hour."

"She'll be there," Tia promised.

"All right then," Tabes grinned. "See you at practice...farm girl."

She then let loose a harsh laugh and walked away.

"Looks like it's just you and me now, little whore," Tia commented.

_No! No! Please, no!_

Nefer-Tina tried to back up into her room, but Tia moved forward to compensate.

"I did a lot of thinking after you left yesterday," Tia began in a thoughtful tone. "I said to myself 'how do I know she'll stay away from Ja-Kal?'. After all, your type is quite persistent. You'll do anything to get what you want. It's quite sickening really.

"I mean, how could I know your every move if I wasn't there to watch them? How would I know where you were at every instant if I wasn't right there with you?"

Nefer-Tina took another step back only to have Tia take another forward.

"So I came to a decision," Tia continued conversationally. "Until the moment Ja-Kal and I get married, I'll have to keep a constant eye on you. Wherever you go, I'll go. Whatever you do, I'll be there watching. Doesn't that sound like fun?"

"Please..." Nefer-Tina whispered, moving another step deeper into her room. "Why are you-"

"Why am I what?" Tia cut her off. "Doing this? Please! As if you didn't know!"

"But I-"

"But nothing!" Tia interrupted again. "Stop playing stupid with me, little whore! I'm getting tired of hearing your excuses."

Nefer-Tina just backed up some more, shaking her head.

Why, oh why, was this happening?

"You can't escape me, so don't even try it," Tia warned, moving closer. "I know every inch of this palace. There's nowhere for you to hide. I'll be everywhere you are, day or night." A new smile formed on her lips, this one sending shivers through Nefer-Tina's body.

"I have a feeling that the two of us are going to become great friends."

((((())))))

Nefer-Tina sighed with relief as she closed her bedroom door, once more isolating herself for at least several hours from the living nightmare the rest of the world had become.

True to her word, Tia had been everywhere she had gone. Every morning for the past week, she had been waiting for Nefer-Tina to come out of her bed chamber. She'd then spend the rest of the day just following and watching her. Sometimes approaching and taunting her, other times just glaring with hatred. And as Tia had promised, there had been no escape. No matter where she went, Tia had found her. Tia was even the last thing she saw before closing her door at night. She had begun dreading waking up in the morning.

She didn't know what she was going to do. She had barely survived one week of this horror that her life had turned into. How much longer could she take it? She had no doubt Tia could keep it up forever.

Tia had shown the true depths of her cruelty on the second day of the torture. Nefer-Tina had been trying to see if she could lose Tia in the hallways of the palace. After all, there were so many of them and they were full of twists and turns. Unfortunately, her efforts had backfired and she had ended up getting lost herself. Tia, of course, had been right behind her, smirking the entire time and throwing a nasty comment her way every once in a while.

After what had seemed like hours of wandering, Nefer-Tina had found herself deposited into a large chamber of some kind. As her eyes had searched for clues as to where she was, _he_ had appeared in her line of vision.

Ja-Kal had been standing in the middle of the chamber, talking to another hunter. The two men had been smiling, obviously happy about something. Ja-Kal's smile had been as beautiful as she had remembered it. Just as beautiful as she had remembered him...

Immediately, Nefer-Tina had forgotten about Tia and the threats. The instant she saw him, nothing else mattered, _nothing_ mattered. She only saw him. The world had narrowed to only hold her and the man she saw.

Of course, her trance had been shattered almost as quickly as it had begun. Tia had wasted no time in rushing up to her and wrenching her by the arm.

"What did I-" she had started angrily, raising her hand. But then she had cut herself off, the anger in her eyes becoming something else.

"No," she had said instead, releasing the terrified girl. "I have something better in mind."

With a smile, she had stepped out into the hallway.

"Ja-Kal," she had called out.

Ja-Kal had immediately turned towards her.

"Tia!" he had happily replied. Turning back towards his companion, he had said, "Excuse me" and then returned his attentions to Tia.

"Hello, my love," Tia had said as she reached him.

"Hello," he had answered back, pulling her into his arms and bestowing his beautiful smile upon her.

And then she had kissed him.

Nefer-Tina's heart had burst into a million pieces.

Not able to stand the sight, she had turned and fled, not knowing where she was going and not caring. She had just needed to get away.

She still didn't know why seeing Ja-Kal kiss Tia had bothered her so much. He loved Tia, after all. He didn't even know that she, Nefer-Tina, existed. Nor did she know anything about him other than the way looking at him made her feel. He made her feel so...

She shook the memory away and went to sit on her bed.

It was true. She knew _nothing_ about him other than he was a hunter and had a woman who loved him fiercely. She imagined he had to be wonderful if Tia was so intent on keeping her away from him. But she would never know. _Could_ never know...

Tia had nothing to worry about. Ja-Kal was a royal hunter, one of the pharaoh's elite. She was a mere farm girl who had become a palace musician by a twist of fate. She had no right to even talk to him. She wasn't even worthy of his thoughts. Tia's fears were unfounded. He was beyond her reach and would always be.

_Why doesn't she understand that?_ Nefer-Tina asked herself yet again. _Why won't she leave me alone?_

If only she could leave this place and go home. _That_ would solve all of her problems. But she knew she couldn't. Mama and Papa wanted this for her. They thought this was the best place for her to be. How could they have known what it would really be like? She had to stay, for their sake.

Sighing, she got to her feet and walked over to the window. The sun was just beginning to set and the temperature was dropping. Back at home, this had been one of her favorite times to take a walk.

_I could really use a walk,_ she told herself.

She had loved taking walks in the early evening. (Actually, it didn't matter what time of day she took one. She just loved taking them.) They gave her a chance to unwind before settling down for the evening. Being alone had given her time to think about all sorts of things, things that her mind was too busy to worry about while doing her daily chores or practicing her music. Gods, she missed home...

Ever since Tia had started harassing her, she had been grateful for the curfew. It was her only respite from the torture. However being trapped in her bedchamber like this was a torture of another sort and she hated it too. She was not used to being confined to the indoors all day and all night. She needed to get out and breathe fresh air every once in a while. Maybe she could...

Her window was towards the back of the far right side of the palace. Her view consisted of housing and streets that were deserted at night. All the residents were asleep. If she were to climb out...

She came to a sudden decision. Tia would not be looking for her now. She would think she was locked in her bedchamber for the night. She had probably gone home for the night. Probably gone to Ja-Kal... There would be no one concerned about her whereabouts.

Without a second thought, she hopped up on the ledge and swung her legs over.

Moments later, she had lowered herself to the ground and began walking towards the shadowy streets surrounding the palace.

((((())))))

Tabes sat on her bed as she brushed her hair, smiling to herself. The plan was working better than she had ever dreamed. The stupid farm girl was scared out of her wits. It was only a matter of time before she wouldn't be able to stand it anymore and ran home to her mama and papa.

Tia was an absolute genius. Tabes had never met anyone like her. The way she tormented that idiotic Nefer-Tina was nothing short of brilliant. She would give anything to be as skilled as Tia was.

The most glorious stroke was the way Tia made Nefer-Tina think that this was about Tia's boyfriend, that Ja-Kal or whatever his name was. The dummy would never make the connection between Tia and herself. She was too busy trying to convince Tia that she had no intention of stealing the man. (Though Tabes couldn't blame Nefer-Tina for looking. He was quite handsome. Tia was a lucky woman.)

Tabes had to laugh at the thought. She couldn't imagine Nefer-Tina with any man, much less a royal hunter. What man would want _that?_ A dumb, dirty farm girl. And Nefer-Tina happened to be one of the dumbest she had ever met. She was no threat to anyone for any reason. And she most definitely didn't belong among the most elite musicians in all of Egypt. Tabes looked forward to the day she was gone for good.

Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted by a loud thump from outside. Curious, she went over to the window to see what it was.

_Well, well,_ she thought as she saw the stupid farm girl herself getting to her feet and start walking towards the surrounding buildings. Apparently the idiot had just climbed out of her window, breaking the curfew that applied to all unmarried women living in the palace. Whatever could have driven someone as weak as the farm girl to break such an important rule? What in the names of all the gods was she up to?

_Tia's going to love this._

((((())))))

After she finished kissing Ja-Kal goodnight, Tia waited until he disappeared back inside his house before heading back to the palace. After all, she didn't want him seeing where she was going, because that would lead to questions. Questions she would not be able to adequately fabricate answers for. He would want to know the truth and would not leave her alone until he got it. And she couldn't have him finding out about the slut.

Ever.

According to the glorious tidbit Tabes had given her that morning, the little whore had broken curfew the night before. For whatever reason, Tabes hadn't been able to guess. However, both of them knew it had to be for something important. From her week of observation, Tia knew that Nefer-Tina was obedient to a fault. She did what she was told, when she was told. (Apparently, she disobeyed only where Ja-Kal was involved.) So whatever it was had to be _very_ important to her.

Tia had decided that she needed to find out what the slut was up to. If she were to adequately terrorize her, she needed to learn as much about her as possible. (She was surprised the girl had lasted this long. Especially after the performance she and Ja-Kal had given her earlier in the week. As much fun as she was having, she was getting tired of having to shadow the slut day in and day out.) So she had arranged her day so that she would be able to spend time with Ja-Kal in the afternoon and early evening and then be back at the palace to catch the whore in the act of climbing out of her window. (She wondered what the slut had thought when she had slipped away in the middle of a practice session. She hoped it had made her even more afraid than she already was.) Ja-Kal, of course, had been willing to oblige her wishes and spend time with her early. (He was such a sweet man. It was such a shame he had to be so boring.) Now it was time to follow the girl and see what she was up to.

Tia arrived at the palace and made her way to the side of the building that she knew to be the location of the musicians' chambers. Tabes had promised to leave her a sign to direct her to the right set of windows. She scanned all the windows and, much to her amusement, found a red garment hanging from one window. (Tabes had quite the wicked sense of humor.) She then stepped into the shadows and waited.

Within minutes, the whore herself appeared, climbing out of her window and landing gracelessly on her feet. She then looked around as if to make sure she hadn't been spotted. (_Too little, too late,_ Tia snorted to herself.) Then she started walking towards the nearest set of houses.

When she was sure the slut wasn't looking back, she slipped out of hiding and moved beneath the marked window. Tabes was there and their eyes met. Tabes sent her a smile and Tia returned a nod of acknowledgement. They would know what Nefer-Tina was up to soon enough.

Growing up in a hunting village, Tia had picked up some skills of her own. Tracking was just one she happened to be particularly good at. It didn't take her long to catch up to the slut and then trail her. And trail her. And trail her.

After a half hour, it became apparent to Tia that the girl wasn't actually going anywhere. The damn slut was taking a walk. A walk! Tia couldn't believe it. The only reason she was breaking curfew was to take a lousy walk. The ridiculousness of it was overwhelming.

What was Nefer-Tina thinking? Or, rather, _was_ she thinking? Why was she risking punishment for something as minor as a walk? It made no sense. Unless...

After her first encounter with the slut, Tia had realized that the girl was too afraid of her to say anything to anyone about what had happened. She was a pathetic little thing who couldn't even find the nerve to speak up for herself. How would she ever find the strength to report the incident to anyone? That was one of the reasons she had been so sure she would have scared her off within a week. So how come she was still here?

_Because she can't go back home,_ Tia realized with sudden clarity. _She _has_ to stay here._

In this context, the walks made sense. If Nefer-Tina could not under any circumstances return home, which is what anyone else as weak as she is would have done in her place, that would explain why she had held out as long as she had. She had no choice but to stay and suffer. So she had started taking these walks as a way of trying to cope with her situation.

_Poor, poor Tabes,_ Tia smirked. _She's stuck with the "farm girl" forever._

But that also meant that _she_ was stuck with the slut forever too.

And Ja-Kal.

_Gods damn it,_ Tia cursed, realizing that as long as she and Ja-Kal remained unmarried, he was in danger of falling into the whore's clutches. (She knew the slut would never give up on having him. She'd seen the way she had looked at him even after being warned. She _wanted_ him.) She'd have to continue following her. Or would she?

The girl was thoroughly terrified of her and had resorted to breaking curfew to get even a few moments to herself. There was no danger of Nefer-Tina ever saying anything to anyone about what had been happening. Perhaps it would be to her benefit to cut back on how much time she actually spent around her. Not only would it cause the slut to become paranoid, but it would be more satisfying in the long run. Choosing where and when each encounter would occur would be a lot of fun. The idiot would never know when she was being watched.

Tia observed as the whore finally returned to the palace and crawled back into her bedroom window. She noticed that Tabes had long since gone to bed and had retrieved her "sign" from the window.

Tabes was not going to be pleased with what Tia had to tell her in the morning. She hoped it wouldn't affect their agreement. Tabes had promised to make sure Ja-Kal remained in the pharaoh's eye. It was the surest way to get him moving through the ranks until he attained the position of captain of the Royal Hunt, the highest honor any one hunter could ever dream of receiving. No one deserved it more than Ja-Kal. And he would get it.

Tia would make sure of that.

((((())))))

"Nefer-Tina?" came Selkis's now-familiar voice. "May I come in?"

Nefer-Tina, who was sitting on her bed, turned away from the window. "Yes, Selkis."

Selkis opened the door and entered the room.

"I just wanted to check on you," she began. "You've been here a month now, and well, I've seen some things that are concerning me."

Nefer-Tina sat up straighter and tried to pretend she didn't know what Selkis was talking about. "What things?"

Selkis closed the door behind her and crossed the room. "The fact that you spend most of your time in here. That you only come out for practice and your meals. That you don't speak to anyone." She approached the bed and sat down on the edge. "Is there something you'd like to tell me?"

Nefer-Tina swallowed hard. How could she tell Selkis about what was happening? Selkis would never believe her. And even if she did, Tia would deny everything and be believed. There was no way to prove anything. Then Tia would come after her...

Tia had been threatening her life all along. Nefer-Tina had no doubt Tia would kill her if she tried to report her. And she'd never know when Tia was coming for her.

At the end of the first week of torment, Tia had suddenly announced that she was bored following her everywhere that she went. "I have better ways to spend my time," she had said with a smile that sickened Nefer-Tina. So she had informed Nefer-Tina that she was only going to be watching her from time to time, but she would never let her know when. "Call them surprise inspections," she had smiled. "So you'd better be on your best behavior at all times. Because I'll be watching you when you least expect it. And you know what will happen if I catch you just looking at him."

Nefer-Tina, not knowing what else to do, had taken to spending most of her time in her bed chamber. It was the only way she could think of to protect herself from Tia. She couldn't do anything to upset Tia if she wasn't doing anything at all. (Her only escape was her nightly walks which, thank the gods, Tia did not know about.) So for the past three weeks, she had remained in her room unless called for practice or meals.

Unfortunately, she had neglected to realize that her hiding would be seen by people other than Tia who did not know what was going on. It made sense that Selkis, who had been concerned about her from the beginning, would want to find out why she was staying in her room.

"No," Nefer-Tina quietly answered, wishing she could say otherwise. But if she told and Tia found out...

Selkis gave her a hard look. "I know you're lying. Why won't you tell me what's wrong?"

Nefer-Tina looked down at her lap and said nothing. _Why couldn't she have been mean like Genubath said?_

"Is it Tabes? Is she still bothering you?"

Nefer-Tina shook her head. Tabes was the least of her problems. Ever since the entire nightmare with Tia started, Tabes hadn't paid her much attention, which was a blessing.

"Then what is it?" Selkis pressed. "I know you're unhappy here. That's plain to see. What I want to know is why."

Nefer-Tina still refused to answer. She had to protect herself. If she said one word and it got back to Tia...

"You have nothing to fear from me, Nefer-Tina," Selkis urged. "I'm your friend. Genubath told me all about you. I know that you're only here because your parents thought it best for you to become one of us. I know that you've had many difficulties over the years and I'm sure coming here is one of the worst. But I'd like to make it easier for you. If you'd only let me."

Nefer-Tina shut her eyes to hold back the tears she felt building up. Selkis was being so kind to her. (It had become very obvious to her within the past few weeks that Genubath had been completely wrong about her.) She wished she could tell her the truth, but she knew that there was nothing Selkis or anyone could do. Tia could not be stopped.

"What can I do to help you?" Selkis wanted to know.

Nefer-Tina stayed silent.

"Why won't you tell me?" Selkis pressed. "What's bothering you? I know I could help."

Nefer-Tina bit her lip. _Please go away._

Finally, Selkis just sighed.

"All right," she said. "It's obvious you're not going to talk to me. I can't figure out why, but you won't. So I'm just going to have to assume that you're all right."

Nefer-Tina looked up at her, feeling relieved.

"And if you're all right," Selkis continued, "that means I can order you to spend time with the others."

Nefer-Tina felt her relief disappear. _No!_

Selkis's expression changed. "Then tell me what's wrong," she demanded.

Knowing she now had no choice but to say something, she decided to tell a partial truth.

"The others all hate me," she informed Selkis.

"Hate you?" Selkis sounded alarmed. "What?"

"They've hated me from the beginning," she went on. "All of them. You said they'd just be upset because I performed so soon, but nothing's changed. They still won't have anything to do with me."

"Are you sure that's not because you hide from them?"

Nefer-Tina shook her head vehemently. If only it _was_ them that she was hiding from...

"Then why do you think they hate you?"

"Because they're nasty to me whenever I'm around them," Nefer-Tina truthfully told her. "They move away from me and ignore me. They don't even try to speak to me. They'll say a mean comment every once in a while, especially if you or one of the other matrons have said something nice first."

Much to Nefer-Tina's surprise, Selkis chuckled. She thought it was funny?

"My dear," Selkis said, placing a gentle hand on her arm. "What we have here isn't hatred at all. It's what's known as jealousy."

"Jealousy?" Nefer-Tina repeated in disbelief. Selkis thought they were _jealous_ of her? What? Not possible!

She was definitely not someone for _anybody_ to be jealous of. She was a poor farm girl who just happened to be good at music. For some reason, people always hated her. They never envied her.

"Of course," Selkis went on. "Think about it. Here you are, a poor farmer's daughter who worked very hard to become very good at your music. You studied music not because you wanted the status associated with being a palace musician, but because you loved it. Isn't that right?"

Nefer-Tina nodded.

"And that hard work paid off. It made you good enough to be discovered and brought to me. Now these other girls have never worked for anything unless they believed it would be to their advantage. They can't understand doing something just for the enjoyment of it. They see someone like you, who cares nothing for the things they take for granted, and it makes them angry.

"You're incredibly gifted when it comes to your music. You're much better than any of the other girls and that also angers them," Selkis continued. "So you see, they don't hate you. They're just jealous of you."

"Besides it's impossible to hate someone as sweet as you," Selkis added as almost an afterthought. "You're a kind young woman with a wonderful future ahead of you. Don't let the petty jealousies of a few girls keep you from enjoying what you've earned."

Nefer-Tina was stunned by Selkis's words. None of them were true, of course. The others _did_ hate her. Selkis wasn't there to hear what they said or to see what they did. But it was the fact that she had even taken the time to say them. It meant a lot to her. It meant that someone _did_ care about her here. Maybe she wasn't as alone as she had feared she'd be.

"Now that I know why you're hiding in here," Selkis determined, "I think I can come up with an arrangement that you'll find to your liking. Would you like to hear it?"

Knowing she had no choice in the matter, she nodded her assent.

((((())))))

Ja-Kal pulled Tia closer against him as they sat together on his couch. She had come over for dinner and they were now just spending some time enjoying each other's company. It was his favorite kind of evening.

Tia had invited herself as she had been doing more often for the past few months. In fact, she had been asking him at the strangest times. He'd be in the middle of a discussion or a task when she would suddenly appear out of nowhere, kiss him, and then tell him she would be at his house to have dinner with him. Not that he minded, of course, but her timing was disconcerting. It was as if she was following him around and choosing the perfect moment.

Tia turned in his arms to face him. "So how are things going with Arakh and Irikara?"

"All right, I assume," he answered truthfully. "You know he doesn't talk to me much anymore."

Ever since the incident on the annual hunt, Arakh had gone out of his way to avoid his brother. What he knew he had learned from the other hunters. He had a feeling Arakh knew he was the reason he was no longer chosen to go on any hunts.

He secretly hoped that being in love would one day soften Arakh somewhat. He longed to be close to his only brother again. He missed the relationship they had had as young children. Why had everything changed?

He knew very little of this Irikara, the woman Arakh had recently begun courting. She had been pointed out to him a few times and she was indeed very lovely. The only thing Ja-Kal knew about her was that she was a palace servant. He hoped she was as good for Arakh as Tia was for him. Tia was his everything. What would he do if he ever lost her?

"I know," Tia said. "His loss."

Ja-Kal smiled and kissed her. "You're very sweet."

"Am I?" she grinned. "Or maybe you don't know me at all."

He laughed. "I know everything about you, my love. You are the most wonderful woman in all of Egypt."

"Stop," she blushed. "You're the one who's being sweet. Gods above, Ja-Kal. I love you so very much."

"As I love you."

"I know," she smiled at him. "I'm a very lucky woman."

"And I'm a very lucky man," he smiled back.

Tia leaned in and gave him a long and gentle kiss. "Promise me we'll be together forever."

"I promise, my love.

"Forever."

((((())))))

Nefer-Tina felt the smile form unbidden as she pictured Ja-Kal coming towards her. Reaching for her. Pulling her into his arms. And...

Her smile spread into a full-fledged grin as her imaginary lover kissed her passionately.

"I love you," she whispered to the man who would never hear her say those words or ever do what she wished he would.

She sighed sadly as she continued walking the deserted streets of Memphis. Ja-Kal could never be hers. He belonged to Tia, who would never let her forget it. Tia, who loved him so much that she would kill to keep him to herself. Tia, who hated her...

She didn't know how or when it had happened, but she had somehow, despite everything, fallen in love with Ja-Kal. It had frightened her when she had first realized it. It meant that her life was in more danger than it had been before. If Tia found out... But she couldn't help how she felt. Not where Ja-Kal was concerned.

If anyone was to blame, it was Selkis. It had been Selkis's idea to send her out on small errands throughout the palace. Once she had been out there, roaming the hallways, it had only been a matter of time before she encountered Ja-Kal.

The first time she had seen him, she had fled the other way, fearing that Tia was there, watching her, waiting for her to disobey. It had been a close call and she had nearly hurt herself during the escape. But the next time, she'd had no choice but to stay where she was. And that was when everything changed.

Ja-Kal had been once again standing directly in her path, but to run would have drawn too much attention to herself. She had been crossing a crowded room and had been surrounded on all sides. She had nowhere to go but straight ahead. So she had looked at her feet and forged ahead, hoping Tia wasn't watching.

Ja-Kal, of course, had been too engrossed in whatever conversation he had been having to notice anything else. Her eyes, despite her efforts, had kept returning to him. For reasons unknown to her and beyond her understanding, she was drawn to him. And every time her eyes found him, those strange feelings came back, as powerful as ever. How she had made it across the room, she still did not know. In fact, she did not even remember anything other than Ja-Kal.

Handsome Ja-Kal...

She knew she had been lucky that day. Tia had obviously not been around or she would not be here right now. But her luck had run out the next time. And other encounters with Ja-Kal had not ended so well.

Tia _did_ notice the third time she had seen him. And Tia had not been happy. She had been so enraged that she had slapped Nefer-Tina harder than ever before and _then_ gone to Ja-Kal just to spite Nefer-Tina. Ja-Kal, oblivious to what Tia was up to, had readily done whatever she wanted.

From then on, she had walked the halls with renewed fear. And it was a fear that was valid. Tia had begun confronting her every day, whether she had seen Ja-Kal or not. Tia would threaten her and warn her, reminding her of what would happen if she even _tried_ to talk to Ja-Kal. (Even Tia had figured out that she couldn't stop Nefer-Tina from looking at him. Talking, in Tia's mind, was the next logical step.) Her secret walks became her only refuge.

And it was on those walks that she began to realize what was happening to her. The truth of her feelings for Ja-Kal, a man she had never met and only knew from a distance, became clear. She had fallen in love with him.

She dreaded the day Tia figured out the truth. Right now, Tia still believed she was only lusting after Ja-Kal, something she had never done. How would she react when she learned that Nefer-Tina _loved_ him?

She pushed the thought away.

_Now's not the time to worry about that,_ she reminded herself. _I'm out here to pretend that everything's all right._

With that decided, she once again conjured up her fantasy of Ja-Kal. A fantasy in which he loved her as much as she loved him.

((((())))))

"Gods damn that little whore!" Tia growled as she paced back and forth. "I'm getting so sick of her!"

"So you keep saying," Arakh commented from the table at which he was seated. "In fact, it's all you've been saying since you got here. You're starting to sound like me."

Tia couldn't help but smile. "I am, aren't I? I'm sorry."

"It's all right," Arakh waved her off. "You're always telling me how alike we are anyway."

"Very true," Tia agreed. "But the tramp is my problem. If I hadn't had the displeasure of running into her on my way here, I wouldn't be wasting your time talking about her. We see each other so infrequently these days as it is."

She had found the tramp staring at Ja-Kal from a doorway _again._ It was getting to be a habit with her. That was how Tia always seemed to find her these days. It was almost as if the stupid slut was going out of her way to find him. Which she probably was. The idiot girl had gone so far as to actually fall in _love_ with Ja-Kal. Pathetic.

"Your idea, remember?" Arakh pointed out. "You don't want anyone knowing about us. Though I've never understood why. Afraid my dear brother will find out and get jealous?"

Tia laughed. "Ja-Kal's too secure in our relationship for that. He knows I'll never leave him for anyone. It's other people that I'm worried about finding out. It's well known that I am Ja-Kal's woman. And people have a tendency to talk."

"And you don't want any rumors started about your precious Ja-Kal," Arakh smirked. "Can't have that, now can we?"

"Not if I can help it," she told him. "You know why I'm with him. I can't allow anything to get in the way of achieving my goals."

"Sounds like a real love match," he grinned. "If only he knew."

"Which he won't," she flatly cut him off. "As far as he's concerned, I chose him because I fell in love with him. He's never to know any different. Do I make myself clear?"

"Always," he smiled. "You know I'd never do anything against your wishes."

"Do I?"

"You know how I feel about him," he said. "But you also know I've put off getting even with him for the way he treated me for this long because of how I feel about you."

Tia mentally rolled her eyes. She knew he was still in love with her despite her constant reminders that they'd never work as a couple. They were too alike. A romance between them was doomed to failure.

"How's Irikara?" she changed the subject, bringing up his new "love" interest. "Is she everything you hoped she'd be?"

"She's adequate," Arakh nodded. "She'll make a very good wife when the time comes. You were right in suggesting her to me. Though she reminds me of Ja-Kal in more than a few ways. She has this thing about honor and refuses to go to bed with me until after we're married."

"Which is the way it should be," Tia informed him. "Do you know what would happen to both of your reputations if she were to conceive before you were married?"

"Do you think I care about stupid things like that?" Arakh countered. "All I care about is getting a son. You know that's the only reason I'm looking to get married. A son I can raise right. Not like our father raised us. Making Ja-Kal think he's better than me. Making him go out of his way to make me-"

"Enough already," Tia cut him off. "It was old the first hundred times."

Arakh snorted. "You're one to talk. The way you came in here ranting about that girl you can't stand. Whoever she is. When did she show up? And why do you hate her so much? Remember, it's been a while since I've seen you."

Tia smiled. "I apologize for that. I've been busy _because_ of this girl. Dealing with her requires almost all of my attention."

"Except the part you give to Ja-Kal," Arakh pointed out. "So, tell me about her. What did she do to you?"

_If I told you, you'd hate her too,_ Tia mused. Arakh would be incensed if he found out that a very beautiful girl had fallen in love with his much-hated brother. Better to keep him in the dark as she had been all along.

"There's not much to tell," Tia lied. "She's a stupid musician who showed up five months ago. Ever since she's been here, she's continuously gotten in my way. I've warned her repeatedly to be more careful, but the idiot doesn't seem to understand a concept as simple as that. I'd give anything if she'd just pack her bags and go back where she came from." (Which would never happen, unfortunately. She was here to stay.)

"Sounds like she's doing it on purpose," Arakh decided.

"You'd never say that if you knew her," Tia snorted. "She's terrified of me. The little slut starts shaking when she sees me enter a room."

"But she still keeps bothering you?" Arakh said, surprise in his voice.

"I told you she was stupid," Tia reminded him. "Too stupid to know what would be in her best interests. Only the gods know what it would take to get rid of her."

"Maybe you're just not scaring her enough," Arakh suggested.

"I don't see how I could scare her any more," Tia informed him. "I've threatened her life a few times."

Arakh smiled at that. "And yet she persists in annoying you. Maybe you should just kill her already and be done with it."

"You know I don't have your taste for blood," she told him. "Murder isn't my style. I just want her gone, that's all. No need to kill her."

"But everything else you've tried hasn't worked," he pointed out. "Maybe killing her is your only answer."

"Maybe for you," she waved him off. "But you may have just given me an idea."

"Tell me."

"If I were to hire someone to beat her to the point of death without actually killing her, that might just be enough to make her want to finally leave here," Tia said thoughtfully. "Then I'd be rid of her for good without having to waste any more time on her."

"I like it," Arakh smiled. "And it could work."

"Yes, I think it could," Tia mused. "Even a dumb whore like her would finally get the message after an experience like that. Now all I need to do is find someone to actually do the deed for me."

"You know," Arakh began, "I never did properly thank you for finding Irikara for me..."

((((())))))

Nefer-Tina lay on her bed, playing out her latest fantasies about Ja-Kal and herself in her mind. She smiled at how perfect the life she had created for them was. At this point, she had them married with children. The children were adorable, two perfect little girls. Everything in this world she imagined was always perfect. Why settle for anything less?

She opened her eyes and glanced out the window. The sun was beginning to set.

It was almost time to take her walk.

((((())))))

Arakh angrily picked himself off the ground from where he had been so unceremoniously dumped. Those bastards had no right to do this to him! _He_ was one of the pharaoh's royal hunters! So what if he had started the fight? They shouldn't have started in about how great a hunter Ja-Kal was!

He turned around and tried to hurl a proper insult their way but found that trying to open his mouth caused him severe pain.

_Gods damn it!_ he cursed. That punch he had taken to the mouth had obviously broken his jaw. Damn! Damn! Damn! It was the perfect end to a perfectly horrible evening.

Everything had been fine until Irikara had once again turned him down after leading him on. What was wrong with the woman? Didn't she know a man had needs? Damn her stupid sense of honor! Didn't she realize he was going to marry her anyway? Why tease him when she wasn't going to properly follow through? Getting him all worked up like that! Damn her!

After blowing up at her, he had stormed out and made his way to the tavern. He had figured getting drunk would make him feel better. (And maybe he could pick up a street girl as well. _They_ had no problem helping men with their needs.) Unfortunately, the tavern had been infested with low-lifes who worshipped his good-for-nothing brother. Trying to set the record straight had led to those bastards ganging up on him. The fight had been unfair, eight against one. He hadn't had a chance. (Nor had he been able to finish his drink, which he'd paid good money for!)

Now, here he was, angry and in pain with nothing to do about either. It was all Irikara's fault. If she hadn't turned him down again...

_Damn woman!_ he decided. _Next time I'll just take what I want!_

With that, he stomped off towards his house, ready to lash out at anyone or anything that got in his way.

((((())))))

"Say it again," Tia urged, moving closer to Ja-Kal.

"I love you," he obliged. "Satisfied?"

She smiled at him. "I can never hear it enough," she told him. "I love you so much." She moved even closer. "You're my world." She then kissed him.

As they kissed, she wondered how much longer was she going to have to wait until Arakh followed through on his promise and got rid of the slut.

She was getting impatient.

((((())))))

Nefer-Tina reached the end of the street she was following and decided it was time to turn around. She had been out long enough.

((((())))))

Arakh observed the girl from a comfortable distance. She had been exactly where Tia had said she would be. Now all he had to do was wait for the perfect opportunity to grab her.

He had been about halfway home when he remembered the girl that Tia had ranted about the other day. He figured he might as well take care of her now while he was already out. Besides, he had all that excess energy he needed to get rid of. (Damn those Ja-Kal-loving bastards!) Using it on her would be a nice change of pace from the animals he usually killed when he was feeling like this.

It was too bad about his jaw. He wouldn't be able to actually _tell_ her to go away. Hopefully the beating she was about to receive would be enough of a message in itself.

Or would it?

((((())))))

Nefer-Tina suddenly had the strangest feeling that she wasn't alone.

She had walked this street many times over the past several months and _knew_ that it was deserted. Yet she couldn't shake the intense feeling that someone was out here with her.

Not wanting to take any chances, she began to walk faster...

Only to find herself roughly grabbed from behind.

Terrified, she tried to scream but a huge hand clamped down over her mouth, effectively silencing her.

Struggling violently but unable to break free, she found herself being dragged into a nearby alley...

((((())))))

Arakh easily pulled the wildly struggling girl into a dark alley. She was a tiny thing, weighing almost nothing, yet she was fighting ferociously to break free from his arms. This amused him to no end. She was very much like the wild game animals he normally hunted. Though he had a feeling he was going to enjoy this sort of prey just a bit more.

_First things first,_ he told himself, pinning her against the alley wall with one of his knees.

The arm that had been wrapped around her torso was now free to dig into one of the small packs hanging from his kilt. He produced two small pieces of material. He had been using them to tie up the smaller animals he hunted to keep them still while he had his fun. In this instance, they'd make a nice gag.

The girl had yet to stop screaming beneath the hand he had clamped over her mouth. The gag would keep her quiet while freeing up his hand. One could only do so much damage one-handed.

_Can't have you making too much noise,_ he silently told her as he prepared to make the switch. (It was such a shame about his jaw. Not being able to talk took away from the whole experience.)

He deftly replaced his hand with the pieces of cloth, stuffing one in her mouth and tying the other one around her head to keep her from spitting it out.

_Perfect,_ he thought, admiring his handiwork. The girl had started sobbing at this point and the gag did a wonderful job of muffling the sound.

Now, what to do to her before he finally killed her?

Although Tia had said she didn't want him killing the girl, he really had no other choice. He couldn't talk with his broken jaw. Without being able to tell her anything, such as who had sent him and why, she'd never get the message he was supposed to be sending. (Sure, he could have waited to grab her until his jaw was healed, but Tia had been pestering him to do it ever since he had volunteered. So the longer he waited, the more annoyed she'd get. And there was nothing worse than Tia when she was annoyed!) It was just really bad luck on the girl's part that tonight had been the night. He doubted Tia would really care. She wanted the girl gone and that's what she'd get. Would whether she was living or dead really make that much of a difference?

_So what should I do to you first?_ he mentally asked his victim, who only continued to sob. Her struggles had ended after he gagged her. He figured she had come to realize that it was pointless to fight him. She'd never get away.

Killing her right then and there would be simple but boring. He didn't even hunt that way. Where was the satisfaction in killing if the victim didn't suffer before death? (Quick kills were for the weak, like his dear brother.)

If she had been one of his normal game animals, his method of killing would be simple. He'd just keep stabbing and slashing her with his knife until she died. (The key to making that kind of death last was to never go near the vital organs. Just lots and lots of minor incisions.) But she was not his normal game. She was a human.

A _female_ human.

A wonderful idea struck him.

Back in the tavern, he had been contemplating paying for a prostitute to take care of his little problem (damn woman and her teasing!) before the fight broke out. Why waste good money when he now had a means of satisfying his needs for free?

Just the thought aroused him.

He hadn't been able to get a look at her since it was so dark out, but he had gotten a nice feel for her body. She was rather soft and curvy. _Very_ womanly. (More womanly than stupid Irikara, now that he thought about it. Gods damn her!) She'd do nicely.

Besides, she'd never tell.

The girl's sobs turned into whimpers as he began to run his hands along her body. She was quite well-proportioned. He idly wondered if Tia's reasoning for wanting her gone had less to do with the girl bothering her and more to do with Tia being jealous of the girl's body. (He wouldn't put something like that past her either. Anything to make herself look better than everyone else.) He wondered what she looked like.

Slowly, he leaned forward to pin her with his own body weight while he lowered his knee.

The girl's whimpering intensified and he could literally feel her shaking beneath him.

Knowing how frightened she was of him aroused him even more.

_I wonder if you're a virgin,_ he mused. He hoped she was. The pain of first entry was quite bad, or so he had been told. All of the women he'd been with had been experienced prostitutes. Irikara, once he got her into bed, would have been his first virgin.

_But the honor will most likely go to you._

He decided to find out before he went any further.

Once again employing his knee, he spread her legs apart.

The girl's whimpering at once transformed back into loud sobs and she resumed her earlier struggling.

_You know what I want, don't you?_ he smiled to himself. _Maybe you're not as dumb as Tia thinks._

Using one hand to support himself against the wall, he reached down with the other until he found her inner thigh.

The girl screamed as soon as he made contact with her bare skin, fighting against him even harder.

He moved his hand up her leg slowly, just to make it worse for her. Her terror was arousing him like nothing else had ever done before. He was enjoying this more than he thought he would when he had told Tia he'd do the job.

Finally, he reached his goal and, much to his delight, was vindicated. She _was_ a virgin. Her now-uncontrollable screaming and sobbing as well as the extreme tightness around his single finger proved it.

Now came the hard part: figuring out how to actually enter her.

The way she was currently struggling against him made anything impossible at the moment. He had to immobilize her somehow. Or maybe just weaken her.

Yes, weaken was good, he decided. It always worked on wild animals. And the best way to weaken an animal was to make it bleed. Blood loss always equaled loss of strength.

Getting an idea, he suddenly released his hold on her. The girl, not expecting it, fell to the ground and cried out in surprise as she landed. Before she could realize that he was no longer holding her, he gave her a hard kick in the stomach.

The girl howled through the gag and curled into a tight ball.

Arakh kicked her again, harder this time.

He was rewarded with an even louder scream, after which, she resumed her crying.

He gave her a third kick, just for good measure.

Again, she screamed.

Figuring that she was in too much pain to try anything at the moment, he grabbed her by the arm and hauled her to her feet.

The girl didn't struggle. All she did was cry.

_Good._

Now, to get some blood flowing before she recovered.

He roughly shoved her back up against the wall, this time only holding her there with a single hand to the small of her back. With the other, he pushed her long hair over her shoulder, exposing her back to him.

Where to cut?

As he contemplated the ideal starting point, he pulled his best knife from its sheathe. It was the sharpest he owned. He always had good results when he used it on his prey.

Mentally shrugging, he just took the knife and stuck it into her left shoulder.

The girl's screams were the best yet.

Encouraged, he began to pull it down her back.

She yelled and squirmed beneath him, trying with all of her might to escape. But it was no use. He had her immobilized. She wasn't going anywhere. And it wouldn't be much longer before she was too weak to fight him.

He cut slowly, maximizing her pain and suffering as well as monitoring the blood loss. He didn't want her losing too much too fast. He wanted to keep her alive until he was finished with her. This exercise was just to reduce her struggles.

By the time he had finished carving up her back (he had made a nice little pattern in her skin), her strength was sufficiently weakened. The fight had almost gone completely out of her. All she could do was cry.

He let go of her and she collapsed to the ground in a heap. She was too weak to even curl up as she had before. All she did was lay there and whimper.

Arakh wiped his knife clean on his kilt and then put it back its sheath. He then tried to wipe some of the blood off of his hands before kneeling down to where the girl was.

_Time for you to become a woman,_ he smirked. _I doubt you're going to enjoy this as much as I am._

He reached out and roughly pulled her onto her hands and knees.

The girl's sobbing grew louder, but she did not resist him.

Once he had her in the right position, he flipped up the bottom of her blood-soaked dress and pushed her legs as far apart as they would go.

Her sobs became more frantic.

He stuck his finger inside of her again, finding that she was now even tighter than before. Entry would not be easy.

_Oh, well,_ he mentally shrugged. _Beggars can't be choosy. Damn you, Irikara._

He retrieved his hand and pushed his kilt up just enough to expose himself. Gods, was he ready. He doubted he'd last very long at this point.

_Not good,_ he silently grumbled. A quickie was not what he needed. He needed a nice long and drawn out ride. Obviously, he'd have to go with the girl more than once.

_Hope she doesn't die before I'm finished._

He lowered himself to his knees and crawled between her legs. He wrapped an arm around her to keep her from moving too much, though he doubted she had much strength left at this point. He could feel her trembling violently as he pulled her close against him. With his free hand, he took hold of himself.

_Get ready, girly._

With that, he roughly thrust into her.

A muffled scream ripped from the girl's throat as he buried himself deep within her body.

Much to his dismay, he came almost immediately upon entry.

_Damn,_ he complained. _That was _too_ quick. Let me try this again._

The girl continued sobbing as he tried to regain his hardness.

He thought of all the different things that excited him: his plans to ruin Ja-Kal, winning Tia after Ja-Kal was out of the picture, becoming captain of the Royal Hunt, having a son of his own, killing things, causing pain and suffering...

That brought his mind back to the girl beneath him. She was crying pitifully but not much else. He knew she was in pain. Pain he was causing her...

_That_ aroused him instantly.

Smirking, he started to move within her.

The girl screamed at this, though not as loudly or as powerfully as before. She was weakening by the second.

The sound sent waves of pleasure through him and he let out a groan. Gods, this felt good... Too bad he was having difficulty pumping in and out of her.

Because she had not gotten aroused (not that he could blame her), her body had not produced the natural lubrication that aided in intercourse. It made things rather difficult for him. Not that he minded too much. It only meant that it was that much worse for her.

He added on speed and strength to compensate, eliciting more cries of pain from her. (He could only imagine what he was doing to the inside of her body.) The more she screamed, the more aroused he became. Her pain was his pleasure. He wanted to make it as bad for her as he could.

In truth, he was in no hurry to finish. He was enjoying this far too much. Knowing she was suffering made it _that_ much better for him. This was an experience he would treasure as long as he lived. It outranked any animal killing he had made. He was going to take his time.

_Just don't die on me until I'm through,_ he ordered the sobbing girl.

Finally he reached his breaking point and he came for a second time.

_Much better,_ he decided. _Just what the healer ordered._

With that, he withdrew from the girl and released her. She simply fell over onto her side, weakly moaning and whimpering.

He hovered over her for a moment, admiring his handiwork. She was in very bad shape. He doubted she'd live much longer, maybe thirty minutes at most. Tia would never have to worry about her again.

He reached out and untied the gag from around her head. He knew she didn't have the strength left to scream for help.

And he was right, all she could do was spit out the cloth he had stuffed in her mouth and moan.

He retrieved it and stood up, straightening out his kilt.

_And that takes care of that,_ he congratulated himself.

Tia would be very pleased.

With that happy thought, he walked out of the alley and headed for home.

He'd sleep well tonight.

((((())))))

Pain. She was in horrible pain. Horrible, excruciating pain.

_Gods, make it stop! Please make it stop!_

Why was she in such pain?

Slowly, cautiously, Nefer-Tina opened her eyes...

And she remembered.

"Oh, gods! Oh, gods!" she whispered as the terror came rushing back to her. She had been... That man had...

She began to cry all over again as memories of the frightening experience flooded her mind. She couldn't believe she was still alive. Not after what had happened. Not after what he had _done_...

Of all the horrors she had ever imagined befalling her, rape had never once crossed her mind. Her greatest fear had been of Tia killing her in a fit of rage. (Which still could happen. Tia hated her _that_ much.) But not rape. Never rape.

"Why? Gods, why?" she quietly asked herself through her tears. "Why me?"

Why had this happened to her? Why did bad things _always_ happen to her? Why did the gods hate her so much? What had she ever done to deserve this pain? This incredible pain...

More importantly, how was she even still alive? She should be dead. She _wished_ she were dead. Then there'd be no pain, no memories...

Suddenly a thought struck her. What if she was alive because _he_ had come back after he had left? Changing his mind. Wanting to-

_No!_ she violently pushed the thought away. It was too horrible to even think about. He _had_ left her to die. No one could be that cruel...that evil... Or could he? A man who could do those things to a person in the first place...

_No!_ She again knocked the thought aside. _I can't! I won't!_

But if not him, then who?

Painfully, she began pushing herself into a sitting position. She had to find out where she was. She _needed_ to know. All she knew was that she was no longer in the alley because she was lying on something much softer than the ground.

After a slow and painful journey, she succeeded in sitting up. (Gods, she hurt all over! Even breathing was torture.) She then began to take stock of herself and her surroundings.

She was in someone's bedroom. The person who had found her had completely cleaned her up, removing all traces of blood and dirt, as well as placing a fresh dress on her. He or she had then put her into the bed that she was now lying in.

But why? What had been the person's intentions? Although it wasn't logical for it to have been the same monster who raped her, anything was possible. Or could it be someone else with even worse intentions? Someone who sought to earn her trust before finishing where the other man had failed...

_I can't think that,_ she ordered herself. _I just can't!_

Maybe it was just what it appeared to be: a rescue. It was possible that someone had wanted to save her life, wasn't it? Someone who had found her dying in the alley and just wanted to help. But that would mean...

Someone else knew what had been done to her.

Feelings of shame and embarrassment flooded through her. She had been violated, her virginity taken by force. The man had taken her innocence, using her body for his own pleasure while causing her pain in the process. Indescribable pain. Almost unbearable pain. Pain that she thought was going to kill her...

_Why did this happen to me?_ she asked of the gods. _Why?_

She could never tell anyone about this. She was too ashamed. Mama had told her what people thought of women who gave themselves to a man before marriage. Although she had had no choice in the matter, she was still unmarried. She would still be considered a disgrace. No one would ever look at her the same way again once they knew. They would hate her even more than they already did...

But nothing was worse than the pain that wracked every part of her body. She hurt so badly that she was physically ill. She wished she were dead if only to escape the pain. It was so bad... Especially where he had...

Again she wondered about who had saved her. What kind of person would roam the streets late at night and rescue half-dead girls? Why would he or she have even wanted to help her?

The room itself held no clue of the identity of the person who saved her life. The space was sparsely decorated. Everything served a purpose. There were no personal touches as far as she could see.

_A man?_ she wondered. Women always had the tendency to try to bring something of themselves into the place they lived. She knew she had back at the palace...

The palace!

Oh, gods! The curfew!

Her eyes flew to the window. Outside, the sun was starting to rise. The wake-up call was less than an hour away. She had to get back!

One of the first things she had learned after coming to the palace was that there was a severe punishment for breaking curfew. Anyone found in violation would receive ten lashes, no questions asked. Selkis has assured her that she had never had to dispense such punishment in all the years she had been head matron. But she would be the first unless she made it back to her room in time.

She threw a quick glance at the closed bedroom door. The person who had brought her here was out there somewhere. Whatever his or her intentions had been, her life had been saved. And for that, she would always be grateful. She would be dead if not for this person.

Slowly, she began to push herself out of the bed. Each movement was an agony and she wanted nothing more than to give up and lie back down. But she knew she couldn't. All that mattered was getting back to the palace in time. She _had_ to get back...

Finally, she made it to her feet, stifling the cries she so desperately wanted to let out. (She couldn't risk the person hearing that she was awake.) She then began to walk, if one could call the clumsy movement she was making walking, towards the window, going as fast as her howling body would let her. Every part of her burned. It was pure torture.

Reaching the window, she braced herself for what would be the most painful action yet. She had to climb through it.

Taking a deep breath, she forced herself out the window.

The pain was searing as she landed, but still she did not make a sound. She couldn't. Not until she was back in the safety of her room, as relative as that was.

She glanced at the sky. The sun was getting higher. She was running out of time. She had to hurry.

Taking another deep breath, she began to run.

After yet another eternity of burning pain, she reached the palace. Quickly, she raced around the side to where her window waited for her.

She threw herself inside, still holding back the screams she wanted to release. The pain was so bad... Gods, did she hurt...

She slid down the wall until she was sitting on the cold stone floor.

She had made it. All of her secrets were safe.

With that, she began to sob.

((((())))))

"Nefer-Tina... Nefer-Tina..."

Nefer-Tina was suddenly aware of being shaken. She could tell that she was lying down and felt that something was gripping her shoulder...shaking her. Something that felt like a human hand...

_Oh gods!_

A single thought immediately leaped into her mind: it was happening again!

_Not again! Oh, gods, please! Not again! Please not again!_

She began to fight for her life, driven by terror and the determination not to be violated a second time. She wouldn't be! She _couldn't_ be...

She tried to struggle to a sitting position, desperately trying to escape the hand. It fell away from her shoulder...

Only to be replaced moments later by both of the assailant's arms! He wrapped them around her, pulling her back down, keeping her from getting away...

_No! Please! Not again!_

She continued to resist, trying to break free of his hold on her.

"Nefer-Tina!" a voice called to her through her terror-tinged haze. "Wake up! Come on, baby! Wake up!"

The voice was familiar. She _knew_ that voice...

"Wake up!"

She awoke with a start, gasping.

"Easy, baby, easy," soothed the same voice. It was so familiar... "It's all right. You're safe now, my love. You're safe now."

She stopped struggling as she realized that the arms were not trying to restrain her. Rather they were embracing her. Holding her against something warm...

She tried to clear her mind as she lay there, breathing heavily. Her thoughts were jumbled and she could not quite figure out where she was...

Or who she was with.

She closed her eyes and tried to focus. Where was she?

Then it all came back to her.

"Ja-Kal?" she ventured.

"Right here, my love," came the reassuring voice of her husband. She felt him tighten his hold on her and kiss the top of her head. "I'm right here."

"Thank the gods," she whispered, the fear slowly beginning to recede. She had been so sure... The fear had been so real...

It had only been a dream. The horrors of over 3500 years ago had come back to life only in her mind. In reality, she was safe in her own house, in her own bed, and in the arms of the man she loved. She had only been remembering her past, not reliving it.

Tears of relief began to spill down her cheeks. It had seemed so real, like it was happening all over again. She had been so afraid...

She lost control and began to sob.

Ja-Kal loosened his hold on her and turned her around in his arms.

She buried her face against his chest and he began to stroke her hair and back.

"Oh, my love," he comforted her. "Shh. It's all right. It was just a dream. Shh. You're safe now. Shh. So safe."

She continued crying, unable to stop. She _couldn't_ stop. The memories had been so painful. So real...

"Let it out, baby," Ja-Kal urged, using the modern term of endearment he had adopted not long after their marriage. "Shh. Let it all out."

She cried for what seemed like an eternity. The memories had hurt so much, bringing everything she had ever suffered through back to the surface. What she had gone through... All because of one woman's hatred. It had been so horrible...

Finally, she ran out of tears.

"I'm sorry," she managed between sniffles. "It was just... It was... Oh, gods... I-"

"Shh," he cut her off, continuing to rub her back. "You don't need to say a word, my love. Just try to feel better. It was just a bad dream, baby. Just a dream. Shh."

_I wish it had been just a dream._

She nodded wordlessly and continued clinging to him. Being in his arms was the best comfort she could receive. She could feel the love he felt for her pouring forth. She was blessed by the gods to have him in her life. She loved him so much.

"I love you," she quietly spoke.

She felt him kiss the top of her head once more. "I love you too." He tightened his arms around her. "My poor sweet Nefer-Tina. I love you so much."

He continued holding her in his arms and kissing her hair repeatedly as they laid together in a comfortable silence. Soon it was as if the dream had never been. His love could cure her of any ailment.

She cherished lying with him like this. Nothing else mattered when they were together in each other's arms. The world beyond ceased to exist for her. She could stay there forever.

"What was were you dreaming about?" Ja-Kal asked after a while, still gently stroking her back.

"You don't even want to know," she truthfully informed him. Every time she even mentioned her past, Ja-Kal's misplaced guilt came forth. So the less she said, the better.

"Of course I do, my love," he said, oblivious of her efforts to shield him. "I always want to know what's upsetting you. How else am I supposed to make you feel better?"

"You already have," she assured him. "Just your being here makes all the difference in the world. When I'm with you, nothing can ever hurt me."

"I love you so much," he told her. "I'll do anything for you, my love. Anything."

"I know," she smiled. "You have no idea how grateful I am for that."

"I think I do," he said. "Now, tell me. What was your dream about?"

She smiled inwardly. Leave it to Ja-Kal not to know when to leave things alone. The man was just too stubborn for his own good!

"Can it wait until the morning?" she tried, knowing what his answer would be.

"Nefer-Tina," he sighed. "You're trying to hide this from me. Why?"

"Because..." _Because I hate it when you're guilty over something you had nothing to do with._

"Why?" He released his hold on her and moved so that he could look into her face. "Tell me, my love."

She averted her gaze. "I..."

He reached out and took her by the chin, raising her face. "Talk to me."

_Stubborn, stubborn man!_

"I'm trying to...protect you," she admitted at last.

His eyes widened in surprise. "Protect me? From your dream?"

She nodded.

"But _why?_"

"Because I know how you'll feel if I tell you about it and I don't want to do that to you."

"You're not making any sense," he told her. "What would your nightmare have to do with me?"

_Everything,_ she silently answered, looking down again.

It wasn't fair that she had to tell him her reasons. Why couldn't she just be allowed to protect his feelings as he always tried to protect hers? She hated how he beat himself up over something that he had nothing to do with.

"Nefer-Tina," he pressed. "Please, my love. Talk to me. What are you trying to protect me from?"

She exhaled forcefully, realizing she had no way out. Ja-Kal would never rest until he got what he wanted from her.

"I was dreaming about my past," she finally informed him, lifting her gaze back to his.

"Oh, gods, Nefer-Tina," he breathed.

"And I didn't want to tell you because I know how you get."

"Nefer-Tina..."

"I hate it when you start blaming yourself for what happened," she continued. "I wanted to keep you from feeling guilty again."

"Oh, my love," he murmured, leaning in to kiss her fiercely. "My precious love. Don't concern yourself with my feelings. Yours are the only ones that matter right now."

"But that's not-"

"Shh," he cut her off, kissing her again. "You will never convince me that I had nothing to do with Tia's actions. We both know everything she did was _because_ of me."

She opened her mouth to protest, but he cut her off with another kiss.

"How much did you dream about?" he questioned, changing the subject. "What made you cry so badly?"

"I got up to...to...that... The morning after..." She found she couldn't say it, as if speaking the words would bring the memories crashing back down on her.

"Oh, gods," Ja-Kal breathed, proving that he already knew what she had been trying to say. "My gods. No wonder you were in such pain. My poor, poor love."

"It was so real," she told him. "So real..."

"Shh," he urged, kissing her again. "You don't need to say anymore. I've heard all I've needed to." He kept kissing her. "My poor Nefer-Tina. I love you so much. No one will ever hurt you like that again."

"I love you," she echoed.

He continued kissing her, each contact growing progressively deeper and more intense.

It wasn't long before Nefer-Tina found herself becoming aroused.

She suddenly realized that what she needed more than anything else right now was to make love to him. The act of making love was the ultimate reminder of how wonderful her life had become. Nothing brought her more joy. The pleasure Ja-Kal gave her outweighed any pain she had ever experienced.

"Make love to me," she simply said.

Ja-Kal didn't hesitate, immediately kissing her again.

The kiss was deeper this time, more passionate. Her arousal flared...

As they kissed, he pushed her onto her back, maneuvering himself until he was laying on top of her.

She became lost in the kissing, immersed in a haze of pleasure and love. Just knowing that it was her husband who was doing these things to her made it all the more erotic.

He ran his hands up and down along her sides while kissing her on the mouth, sending tingles all through her body.

She felt the moment his own arousal fully hit, driving hers up several notches.

He then began to stray from her mouth, beginning the slow journey down her body that he always took. He always put her pleasure before his own, proving the extent of his love for her. He made love to every inch of her, leaving no part of her body untouched. The things he did to her...

When her first climax hit, she cried out his name, overwhelmed by the sensations he had unleashed within her.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of ecstasy, he returned to her mouth, signaling that it was time for the part that she craved most-the joining. When the two of them were intertwined, she felt whole, complete. There was nothing else in the world like it. She needed to be one with him.

She spread her legs wider to accommodate him as he aligned himself with her body. She wanted him within her. She _needed_ it...

And then he was, entering her slowly, filling her with his body. Bringing her what she wanted most.

She gasped into his mouth, always overwhelmed by the pleasure his entry brought her. It was incredible.

Ja-Kal moved with a slow deliberation within her, dragging the coupling out as long as he could manage. She doubted he was going to last much longer...

But her second orgasm came first, waves of ecstasy crashing through her. She felt so wonderful...

Finally, his own release came, bringing the lovemaking to an end. He collapsed on top of her and kissed her all over her face, neck, and mouth.

"How do you feel?" he asked her between kisses.

"Wonderful," she smiled. "As always."

He smiled back. "I'm glad to hear it." He kissed her again. "My beautiful love. Gods, I love you."

"I love you too."

He gave her one last kiss and then disengaged from her only to pull her back into his arms.

"Would you like to try to go back to sleep now?"

"Yes," she nodded. She smiled wickedly. "I suddenly find myself strangely exhausted."

"Very funny."

"I try," she grinned. She felt so content right now. She didn't think anything in the world could bother her at this very moment, not even Scarab finding them. The effect Ja-Kal had on her was just too powerful. Her nightmare felt like a lifetime ago.

"Good night, my love," Ja-Kal told her, kissing the back of her neck. "May the gods only send you sweet dreams. My precious Nefer-Tina."

"Good night," she sent back, smiling at his words. He was so wonderful, so caring. If only she had known him long before her life had been so utterly destroyed.

She closed her eyes and tried to fall back to sleep...


	2. Part 2

Nefer-Tina coughed violently as she finished vomiting into the chamber pot. She prayed that this was the last time for the day.

She had been getting these mysterious sick spells every morning now for over a week. They had left her throat raw and added to the already unbearable pain that wracked her entire body. She had no idea what was causing them and she was starting to get scared.

For about a week after..._it_...had happened, she'd been fine healthwise. (The physical pain, which had yet to go away, had forced her to remain in bed for most of that time. Her back had been the source of most of the pain. Even trying to move had been agony. She had had to convince Selkis and the other matrons that she was sick so that they would leave her alone. The fact that she had screamed herself hoarse aided her lie.) Other than the pain, nothing had been wrong with her. In fact, towards the end of the seven days, she'd begun feeling slightly better and had started moving around a little bit. Then this whole thing had started.

Every morning at almost exactly the same time, she woke up extremely nauseous and had to vomit. It didn't matter whether or not she had eaten the night before. The nausea unfailingly greeted her first thing in the morning.

Obviously she was sick. But with what, she had no idea. She'd never heard of such an illness before. What kind of sickness only made you sick in the morning? How had she gotten it, and, more importantly, how could she get it to go away?

She had to see a physician as soon as possible. She'd given up any hope of getting better on her own days ago. That was the only way to find out what was truly wrong with her. And hopefully he would have a cure for whatever it was. She couldn't go on pretending that nothing was wrong for too much longer.

She hadn't told anyone about her sick spells. She didn't want anyone knowing about them, especially Selkis. Selkis would probably think that it was a continuation of her "illness" from the week before and insist that she see the royal physician. Knowing Selkis, she'd bring her to see him herself. And then he'd find out... And he'd tell...

She didn't even want to imagine what would happen if her secret shame was discovered. She was hated enough as it was. (The thought of just Tia learning about it made her more ill than her sick spells. There was no telling how _she'd_ react.) She'd probably be thrown out and forced to return home. Then Mama and Papa would find out...

No, it had to be someone outside of the palace. Someone who wouldn't recognize her as a palace musician. Someone to whom she could tell a convincing lie. Someone who would help her and then she'd never have to see again.

But in order to find that someone, she would first have to _leave_ the palace. And that meant getting permission from Selkis. And since going out into the city would cause her to miss practice sessions, Selkis had to know why she wouldn't be there. But what-

Her thoughts were interrupted by another bout of vomiting.

When it passed, she wiped her mouth and tried to regroup her thoughts.

She had to come up with a good reason to give Selkis for going out into Memphis. It had to be something that Selkis wouldn't question. As kind as Selkis always was to her, asking for something like this so soon after missing an entire week of practice and two performances would be pushing things. Her reason had to be so innocent that Selkis wouldn't think twice about letting her go.

Suddenly, there was a knock at her door.

"Nefer-Tina! Practice starts in ten minutes," Reonet called.

"I know! I'll be out in a few minutes," she called back.

Praying that she was done vomiting for the morning, she got out of her bed and slowly began getting dressed.

It was time for yet another day of pretending that there was nothing wrong.

_Just until I can get help,_ she promised herself. _And then everything will go back to normal. _

_Just a little while longer._

((((())))))

Tia smirked as she observed the whore once again try to hide a wince of pain, a very frequent occurrence these days. It was highly amusing to watch.

The slut had been trying to cover up her obvious misery ever since emerging from her seclusion two weeks ago. (Tia had been impressed that she had hidden for only a week after what had happened. She was evidently made of stronger stuff than Tia had ever believed. Not that it ever showed in any of her actions.) However it was an exercise in futility. Anyone with eyes could see that something wasn't right with the girl. It was only a matter of time before someone insisted that she see a healer. And then all of Tia's problems would be over.

Only the whore would be stupid enough to hide the fact that she had been raped. Any other woman would have immediately reported it. But not Nefer-Tina. Oh, no, not the idiotic slut who was so determined not to ever go back home. Only she would keep it a secret. And by doing so ensure that she'd be thrown out and humiliated in front of the entire court.

Although Tia had been furious at Arakh for supposedly leaving her for dead (She had, after all, not wanted the girl killed. Gone, but not dead.), his blatant cruelty had done a better job than a mere threat and beating ever would have. By raping her, he had inadvertently created a situation that would result in the whore being out of the picture for good. When a physician discovered she was not a virgin as she was supposed to be, it would be assumed that she had a lover. (A laughable prospect, of course.) And when she belatedly claimed rape, no one would believe her. It would been seen as an attempt at protecting her lover, most likely a married one.

It was too perfect.

And best of all, when Ja-Kal at last learned of her existence, it would only be as a wanton slut and tramp. He would see her as the piece of low-class trash that she was. And Tia would make sure Nefer-Tina knew _all_ about that. She could already imagine the look of devastation on the lovesick whore's face. Just thinking about it sent a thrill through her body.

And after the slut was finally gone, she'd be free to begin her push for Ja-Kal to finally marry her...

And all of this was possible because of Arakh's utter (thank the gods) incompetence to finish a kill. She'd had to thank him somehow. Perhaps a belated wedding gift...

((((())))))

Nefer-Tina took a deep breath as she stood outside of the healer's home.

_This is it,_ she told herself. _I'll finally know what's wrong with me._

She had now been sick for over a month and her mystery illness had gotten even worse. Not only was she still vomiting every morning, but now she had missed her monthly bleeding time too. She _never_ missed her bleeding time. _Ever._ Something was very, very wrong with her.

If only she could have gotten to a healer sooner. Unfortunately, her duties as a palace musician had prevented her from taking the necessary time until now. There had been three mandatory performances for which she would not have dared miss practice time. They had all been for very important visitors to the palace and Selkis had made it very clear that the pharaoh was counting on them to thoroughly impress his guests. So she had had to wait.

Yesterday afternoon she had gone to Selkis with her carefully crafted story. She had told her that her parents' anniversary was coming up, which was true, and since, for the first time, she would not be there to spend it with them, she wanted to send them a special gift, which was the only actual lie. (She didn't have enough money to buy them anything as well as see a healer. She didn't even know if she had enough to pay the healer!) Selkis had immediately believed her story and granted her permission to go into the city the next day. She had even given her some extra money to spend. (Maybe she _could_ buy them something after all.) As long as she was back by curfew, she could stay out as long as she wanted.

Once outside, Nefer-Tina had begun her search for a healer. Her first step had been to make her way to the outskirts of Memphis, ensuring that she was as far away from the palace as she could get. Then she had started asking the various merchants for the location of the nearest physician. The closest and most highly recommended was a man by the name of Amenmose, who lived just outside of the city.

Gathering up every last scrap of courage she possessed, she walked up to the door...

Which opened before she could even knock, startling her.

"I was starting to wonder if you'd ever decide to come in," the elderly man who had opened the door greeted her. "You've been standing outside my front door for quite a long time now." He gave her a warm smile. "I promise you that there's nothing to be afraid of."

_If only I could believe you._

"A-are you Amenmose the healer?" she stammered, still shaken by his sudden appearance.

"That I am, my child," he confirmed, still smiling. "How may I help you today?"

She swallowed nervously. "I-I haven't been feeling too well lately. I was h-hoping you could tell me what was wrong and, if possible, give me some sort of medicine to take for it."

"Sounds easy enough," he said, his smile still firmly in place. "I'll give you a good looking over and see what I can find out for you." He stepped back from the doorway. "Please, come in and we'll get started."

"T-thank you," she managed with a weak smile of her own. She stepped into the little house.

Once inside, she noticed that the structure was so tiny that it only consisted of one room divided up into several living areas. She assumed that the small cot against the back wall of the house was where he performed his examinations.

"This way," he told her, motioning for her to follow. He led her to a small table set up very close to the cot.

"Please, have a seat," he said, motioning for her to sit down.

Giving him another tiny smile, she sat down on one of the chairs and waited for him to join her.

"All right," he began, "we'll start off simple. You'll describe your symptoms to me and I'll see if I can recognize them. All right?"

She nodded.

"Good," he said. "Now, tell me everything you can think of."

"Well, my symptoms are pretty strange," she started. "I only actually feel sick in the morning and that's it. I wake up extremely nauseous and I have to immediately vomit. It doesn't make a difference whether or not I ate before going to bed. I'm always sick as soon as I wake up."

"Ah, I see," Amenmose said, a strange sound in his voice. "And for about how long would you say that this been going on?"

"Maybe five weeks," she informed him, a sudden shiver passing through her. Did he already know? "Maybe longer. I'm not exactly sure."

"All right. What else can you tell me?"

"Like I said I feel sick only once a day," she continued. "That's what's so strange about the whole thing. After I finish vomiting, I feel perfectly fine."

Which was true to an extent. She was still in pain from that...night...but it was beginning to fade. She could almost ignore it now.

"But I'm not fine," she went on. "Because it starts all over again the next morning. There's obviously something very wrong with me."

"Well, I wouldn't say that quite yet," Amenmose commented, both surprising her and confirming her suspicion that he had already diagnosed her.

"Do you know what it is?" she asked, feeling a ray of hope. If he knew, was there a cure?

"I have a suspicion," he corrected. "What is your name, child?"

"K-karem," she answered, looking back up at him. _I hope you don't mind, Mama._

"Am I right in assuming that you haven't shared your 'illness' with anyone other than myself, Karem?"

She nodded.

He gave a little smile at that. "I thought not."

He was smiling? What did he suspect she had?

"Are you married, Karem?"

She nodded again, relieved that she had been right to create a false identity for herself though unsure of why it would matter if he did not know whether or not she was a virgin.

"Good. Have you had any other symptoms? Have you, perhaps, missed your last bleeding time?"

Her mouth fell open in surprise. "Y-yes. How did you...?"

"What about tenderness in your breasts?"

"I..."

She didn't know how to answer the question. She was tender all over her body because of...of... But now that she was thinking about it, there _was_ an increase in the soreness of her breasts. Still minor compared to what it had been, but more noticeable than the rest of her body. She had just assumed it was part of her other injuries. Was it part of her mysterious sickness then?

She finally nodded. "Yes." The ray of hope was growing larger. It was obvious his suspicions were correct. And since he was acting very calm about it, it was something curable. "What do you think is wrong with me?"

"Nothing," he said matter-of-factly. "From your symptoms, I would say you're perfectly healthy."

_What? Healthy?_

"But I can't be entirely sure until I run a few tests. However, I can tell you with complete confidence that you are suffering from the classic symptoms of a woman who is going to have a baby..."

((((())))))

"...who is going to have a baby."

The moment Tia heard those beautiful words spoken, she knew that the whore was finally as good as gone.

Pregnant! The stupid slut was pregnant! And all because Arakh had thought it an ingenious idea to use her to take care of his "needs," as he had so proudly put it. (The man was a complete idiot, but he had his uses as this wonderful turn of events proved.) Could things be any more perfect?

She hadn't considered the possibility of the girl getting pregnant from the rape. After all, Arakh couldn't even get his own wife with child and not for lack of trying either. (Wouldn't it be ironic if Irikara was barren? Tia had specifically chosen her for Arakh because she had the ideal child-bearing shape. But they had been married for almost two months and there was still no sign of a baby. Perhaps a fertility test was in order...) Just the fact that her virginity had been taken had been enough to guarantee her complete and utter humiliation upon discovery. But now she was pregnant as well. And everyone knew what the punishment for an unmarried maiden with child was.

Banishment.

She would be gone forever with no way to ever return to Memphis.

Tia's future with Ja-Kal would be secure one again.

But in order for any of this to take place, the whore would have to actually _be_ discovered. And the chances of that happening any time soon were slim.

Before she had known of the pregnancy, Tia had been counting on Selkis, the matron who inexplicably treated the slut as a daughter, to notice that Nefer-Tina was in pain. That was why she had stayed away. She had wanted the whore to remain in Selkis's sights at all times.

Unfortunately, Selkis and the other matrons had been too busy to notice such minor details. And the more time passed, the less pain the girl was in. Tia had begun to worry that this perfect opportunity to be rid of the whore was going to pass her by. And there was nothing she could do about it. Saying anything would only draw suspicion and that was the last thing she had wanted.

So when Tabes had brought her the news of Nefer-Tina's plans to go out into Memphis, Tia had seen it as an opportunity to confront the girl and "suggest" that she go see the royal physician at her earliest convenience. The slut was so afraid of her that her compliance was guaranteed. Once Tia knew that the whore had been examined, she could just sit back and enjoy the drama that she knew was going to unfold.

However, at the very moment she was going to make her presence known was the exact moment the slut had asked a merchant where she could find the nearest healer.

The question had frozen her in place, surprising her. Why did Nefer-Tina need to see a healer? And why not just go the royal physician (which would have saved a lot of time)? Why the secrecy and cover story? What was the girl trying to hide?

She had seemed perfectly fine to Tia. With the exception of the pain she had been suffering, the whore had been her normal stupid self. So what was bothering her enough to go to these great lengths to be examined?

It was possible the girl has some common sense after all. She probably was aware of the consequences from losing her virginity and wanted to prevent her secret from being found out. (Wasn't that why she had been hiding her pain from Selkis and the others?) But what was wrong with her? Tia had had to find out.

And found out she had. The healer's diagnosis had told her everything she needed to know and then some. With the exception of the healer who would never see her again, Tia was the only one who knew the slut's dirty little secret. A secret that would serve as the key to finally ridding herself of the whore's presence.

Deciding there was no longer any reason to stay, Tia carefully got to her feet and moved away from her position beneath the window. She had heard everything she needed to know. It was time to begin planning how she would use this information to expel the slut once and for all...

((((())))))

Nefer-Tina lay on her bed, still reeling from the news she had received only hours earlier.

A baby. She was going to have a baby.

What in the names of all the gods was she going to do?

She was an unmarried maiden. To be with child was the most heinous crime possible. The loss of her virginity was nothing compared to this. If she was discovered...

She was now twice shamed. First her virginity had been stolen by that monster and now she was pregnant. Pregnant by the very man who had violated her and then left her for dead. She was a disgrace in the eyes of the world. What was so wrong with her that one bad thing after another kept happening?

All she knew was that she had to get away from here before she began to show. The moment her pregnancy became visible was the moment that any chance of salvaging a life for herself anywhere was over. She would be made an example of in front of all of Egypt. And then she would be banished from Memphis.

She would have no place to go.

She knew she couldn't go back home if that happened. She didn't think she'd be able to stand the disgust Mama and Papa would hold for her. They would hate her, consider her a disgrace and a failure. They would truly stop loving her.

A person who had been banished would not be welcome anywhere. The news of her banishment would spread like wildfire, warning everyone of the musician who had given herself to a man outside of marriage and ended up carrying his child. She would be turned away wherever she went. She would not be able to find work to support herself and her child. They would have no money, no home...

She shook the thought away. None of those things would happen because she was _not_ going to be discovered. She was going to leave Memphis as soon as possible, hopefully in the next week or so. It was the only way to protect herself and her baby.

Despite the fact that this child was the product of violence, Nefer-Tina had already made up her mind that she would love him or her no matter what. This would probably be the only child she would ever have and she was going to treasure it. He or she did not have to know his or her origins. He or she would be told of a loving father who tragically died before his or her birth. A fantasy father who would be very much like the man she loved...

Ja-Kal. She would miss seeing him so much. He had become such an important part of her life without actually being _in_ her life. She loved him with her heart and soul. If only this baby could have been his...

Realizing she had a lot of planning to do and not much time to do it in, she sat up in her bed and reached for the nearest scroll and pen.

She had a letter to write to her parents explaining why she was leaving the ranks of the royal musicians...

((((())))))

"Ready?" Tia asked Tabes as the two women lurked just outside the entrance of a hallway where three servant girls were busy scrubbing the floor.

"Of course," Tabes grinned. "Let's do this."

Tia smiled back. "On my mark..."

The plan Tia had formulated to get rid of the slut once and for all required two people to make it work. So she had immediately sought out Tabes, the one person whose hatred of Nefer-Tina nearly rivaled her own. Tabes had jumped at the chance to help get rid of their shared nuisance. (And the news of the girl's pregnancy had only fueled her desire to help.)

The plan was simple: the two of them were going to start a nasty rumor about Nefer-Tina.

Tia's years of living in Memphis had taught her that gossip was the lifeblood of the people, from the poorest of merchants to the richest members of the pharaoh's court. All of them loved to think the worst of their fellow Egyptians. And they enjoyed spreading rumors about them even more. The more scandalous it was, the better. And what could be more scandalous than the tale of the palace musician who had gotten herself pregnant by her married lover?

She and Tabes had worked very hard to create just the right mix of fact and fiction. They had wanted their story to be interesting yet close enough to the truth so that there'd be no doubt that Nefer-Tina was the musician in question. Or the version of the truth that Tia had told Tabes. (Both Tia and Arakh's roles in the events leading up to the pregnancy had to remain a secret, for both of their sakes. Discovery would lead to death.) Both were in agreement that there was no lover (as if the slut was capable of getting one) and that she had most likely been tricked into having sex. So they made up a married lover, the perfect and most plausible embellishment.

It was a story that would easily be believed. The slut was incredibly beautiful and it was a logical assumption that a married man could fall for her. No one would doubt that it was true. Not even the pharaoh.

Amenhotep believing the rumor was the key to the entire scheme. Only his involvement would seal her fate. And there was no question he would. A rumor implying that one of his personal servants had broken the law could not be ignored. If true and he did nothing, it would make him look weak. And as the supposed living representation of the gods, he could not afford to ever look weak. It would lead to the people starting to doubt him, which could not be allowed to happen. He would have no choice but to act quickly to put an end to the rumor. And when it was found to be true...

Nefer-Tina's time in Memphis was finished.

"Go," Tia instructed.

The two of them strode out into the hallway, immediately pausing to make sure that the servant girls noticed them.

"No, no one seems to know who the father is," Tia began, launching into the conversation that they had rehearsed. "She refuses to tell anyone his name."

"Probably because he's married," Tabes recited with a snort. "Why else would they be keeping their relationship a secret?"

"Well, it won't be a secret for much longer," Tia told her. "Once word of her pregnancy gets out, everyone will know that she has a lover."

"As if she'll tell anyone his name then," Tabes continued. "It's obvious she's in love with him."

"Of course she's in love with him," Tia asserted while taking a surreptitious glance at the servant girls.

All three had stopped what they were doing and were listening intently.

_That's right. Take the bait like the good little gossips you are._

"She spread her legs for him, didn't she?" she continued. "Even someone as stupid as she knows the punishment for losing her virginity while unmarried. He probably promised that he'd leave his wife for her."

"Idiot," Tabes snorted again. "I assumed she plans on resigning her position as a palace musician?"

Tia made a small gesture with her hand to indicate that they should start walking.

"That's what I've heard," Tia confirmed as they resumed traveling down the short hallway. "It's quite a shame, really. She's supposed to be the best of all the musicians."

"It's her own fault," Tabes decided and Tia could see that she was struggling to keep a straight face. "The moment she took up with him she risked losing everything and now she has. At least she'll have her bastard child to remember him by."

Tia nearly smiled herself at Tabes's ad lib. "It was her choice," she agreed. "Now she has to live with it."

"And without her man," Tabes added yet another unscripted remark. "Stupid girl. Anyone who even thinks of feeling sorry for her is as dumb as she is."

_Having fun, aren't you?_ Tia thought. Tabes was really getting into this. It was entertaining to witness.

"Well, we'll see how stupid she really is if she succeeds in resigning before word of her condition gets around," Tia said. "I hear she plans on being gone long before she begins to show."

"That would be too bad," Tabes decided as they reached the end of the hall. "She deserves..."

As they passed into the next hall, Tabes left the final line of their script unsaid.

They quickly moved out of sight and listened for the inevitable talk.

They were instantly rewarded.

"By the gods!" the first one began. "Can you believe what they were just saying?"

"Of course," another one said. "It's more common that you think. Those rich girls think they're above the law. I hope she gets caught."

"I wonder who it is," the third came in. "I don't know anything about any of them."

"Oh, I'm sure plenty of people know," the second one spoke again. "You just have to ask the right people..."

"And that takes care of that," Tia said smugly.

"Perfect," Tabes smiled. "It won't be long now before it spreads throughout the entire palace. I can't wait until she's caught."

"Neither can I," Tia agreed.

"Neither can I."

((((())))))

Nefer-Tina carefully replaced the sheet over the nearly-complete pile of travel supplies. She was only in need of a few more items. And the sooner she got them, the sooner she could finally leave.

The week she had initially planned for had turned into two, then three, and finally a month because of a sudden flood of unscheduled performances. There had been concerts for visiting dignitaries, banquet performances, and private shows for the royal family and their guests. All of which had required extra practice time. (Selkis was adamant that they could never give less than a perfect performance.) And on top of all that, Selkis had continued to send her on numerous errands all over the palace.

Because of all this, she had been left with very little free time to prepare for her flight from Memphis. She had been lucky to get even one necessary item a day if any at all. It was frustrating and frightening, but there had been nothing she could do. As long as she remained a palace musician, she would have to perform her duties.

And the longer she remained, the more frightened she became. Her body was changing daily and already there was a bulge in her belly. She had begun wearing oversized clothing weeks ago, but they could not disguise her condition indefinitely. Unless she left soon, she _would_ be discovered.

Her sole comfort was Tia's continued absence. She had not seen or heard from Tia in months. In fact, there had been no sign of her since the day before..._it_ had happened. (Ja-Kal, on the other hand, continued to be almost everywhere Selkis sent her on an errand. Seeing him and knowing that it could be for the last time killed her. If only she could speak to him...) She doubted Tia had forgotten about her or had finally realized that she was no threat. She could only assume that she was busy elsewhere and could not find the time to torment her. She prayed that this miracle would last until she could leave and then she would never have to worry about Tia again.

After all of her supplies were gathered, she would still have two final tasks to perform before she could actually leave. The first was to send the letter she had composed to her parents. All it said was that she had decided that she couldn't be a palace musician anymore and that she was going to travel for a while. She told them that she did not know when she would return home. (Which would probably be never. How would she explain her child to them?) The second was to tell Selkis that she was leaving.

Just the thought of facing Selkis made her ill. She knew that Selkis would not let her go without an explanation. She would also try anything and everything to convince her to stay. She would not like the idea of losing such a "talent," as she often called her. But she would have to be strong and demand to be given leave time. It was the only way to protect both herself and her child.

She placed a hand over her slightly rounded belly.

"Don't worry, my little one," she promised her baby. "We'll get through this and then we'll be safe. I'll take such good care of you. You are going to be so loved. I promise you."

She was very close to leaving. It wouldn't even be another week. This time she was positive.

Her secret would remain safe.

((((())))))

_And he wonders why I chose his brother over him,_ Tia mused as she listened to Arakh rant.

Arakh had shown up at her home after angrily storming out of the royal physician's office. He had finally taken Irikara, as Tia had been urging him to for months, to have her fertility tested and, upon hearing the negative results, had become infuriated. So he had gone to Tia to blame her for his "bad luck" since she was the one who had chosen Irikara for him.

"This is all your fault," he was raging. "'She's perfect,' you said. 'Marry her,' you said. So I do and what happens? I find out the woman can't have children! Now I'm stuck with a wife who can't give me my son! What in the names of all the gods am I supposed to do?"

"You could calm down and stop acting like a spoiled child," she suggested, earning a glare from the insulted party. "You're overreacting. So what if Irikara can't have children? She's still the perfect wife for you. You couldn't find a better woman if you tried. There is another way for you to get your precious son. Just adopt one."

"Adopt?" he repeated contemptuously. "Are you serious?"

"Of course," she said. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"You think I want to raise someone else's unwanted brat as my own?" He made a face. "No thank you."

"So you'd rather go childless?"

"Hardly," he informed her. "I'll just divorce the worthless bitch and find another wife who can give me my son. You know plenty of women, right?"

"Is that all you think a wife is good for?" she asked incredulously. "Bearing you a son?"

"Why else would you need to get married?" he asserted. "You can get any woman to cook or clean for you if they even _think_ you'll marry them. And there are more than enough prostitutes with to relieve your needs with. The only reason you need a wife is to have children."

_Idiot._ "So I suppose you think that's all I'm going to do for Ja-Kal when he marries me?"

"You mean _if_ he ever marries you," he snorted. "My stupid brother doesn't know how good he has it. Most women would have walked out on him by now. I, on the other hand, would have married you years ago."

Tia ignored the remark. Would the man ever give up?

"Ja-Kal _is_ going to marry me, Arakh," she informed him. "I promise you. I'll be his wife sooner than you think."

Arakh snorted a second time. "Yeah, right."

"We were talking about why you refuse to adopt a child," she changed the subject. "Just because a child is unwanted doesn't mean he wouldn't make you a fine son."

"But there's no guarantee," he pointed out. "Besides, there has to be something wrong with it if the parents don't want it. And if they don't want it, why would I want it?"

"Children aren't always given up because they aren't wanted," she told him. "Sometimes the parents just can't handle another mouth to feed. The baby could be perfectly healthy. You would be surprised at how many children are adopted."

"So what if it's healthy?" Arakh complained. "That still doesn't mean it'll be any good to me when it grows up. I need a son that's strong and intelligent. And the only way I can be sure of that is if he's my own son. Not someone else's discarded spawn."

_Because you're so strong and intelligent yourself? Idiot,_ she snorted to herself.

Maybe it was a blessing that Irikara was barren. There were enough idiots in the world. She shuddered at the thought of him reproducing...

Again.

Unfortunately, Arakh already _did_ have one child on the way. He just didn't know it. And given who the mother was...

Suddenly a wonderful idea came to her.

"What if I told you that there was a child going to be born in the next five months that, if it were a boy, could be yours?" she queried.

"And why would I want it?" he countered.

_Because it's yours,_ she thought. Aloud, she said, "Because I'm going to take it away from its mother the moment that it's born."

"Oh, really. And does the mother know this?"

"She doesn't even realize that I know she's pregnant."

His eyes widened. "Tell me more."

"With pleasure."

((((())))))

_I'm sorry Mama and Papa,_ Nefer-Tina thought as she watched the messenger set out with her letter. _I love you so much._

She felt ill at the thought of never seeing her parents again but it had to be. They could never know of her shame...or her child. She wanted them to be proud of her and think that she was living the life they wanted for her. If they ever learned the truth...

The trip to Memphis from the farm had taken two days. It would hopefully take that long for the letter to get there. She planned to be long gone by the time they read it.

Tomorrow morning she would go to speak with Selkis.

By tomorrow afternoon, she would be on the road, seeking a new home for herself and her unborn baby.

Pushing away the sadness, she turned back towards the palace.

She had work to do.

((((())))))

"I wish you didn't have to go," Tia sighed as Ja-Kal pulled her into his arms. "I'm going to miss you so much."

"I won't be gone long," he assured her. "This is just a short hunting trip. It shouldn't take more than a week or two. I'll be back before you know it."

"But it'll still seem like an eternity," she insisted, clinging to him. "It's so lonely when you aren't here."

Ja-Kal continued to hold her but said nothing. Tia always got like this whenever he had to go away for any length of time. He never understood why she suddenly became so insecure about their relationship. She knew he loved her and would never leave her. He hoped things would change once they were married.

Besides, he had larger concerns. Arakh was going on this trip as well. Amenhotep had suddenly decided that enough time had passed and that Arakh could be trusted to behave himself. Ja-Kal disagreed, but he could not argue with his pharaoh. And Amenhotep was particularly adamant about this decision. (Ja-Kal had a feeling he had been pressured to reinstate Arakh, but by who and why?)

In fact, this was probably the worst time to set his brother loose on innocent animals. Two days ago Arakh had learned that his wife could not have children, something Ja-Kal knew Arakh desperately wanted. (One of his oft-repeated rants had to do with having a son and raising him "right," whatever that meant.) Arakh was furious and that meant he was at his most violent. Ja-Kal felt sick at the thought of what might happen during the trip.

Ja-Kal knew this because Irikara had come running to him after Arakh had stormed out of the physician's office. She was desperate for advice and comfort, neither of which Ja-Kal could give her. Arakh was erratic and unpredictable when he was angry. All he could tell her was to wait it out.

His heart went out to his sister-in-law. She was a brave woman for marrying Arakh and even braver for staying with him after learning his true nature. Most women would have fled in fear of their lives by now. He hoped she knew what she was doing.

He turned his thoughts back to the woman in his arms and how lucky he was to have her.

"I always come back to you," he told Tia. "Always. I love you."

"I love you too," she weakly smiled at him. "So much."

He gently dislodged her from the embrace and leaned down to kiss her.

After he broke the kiss, she quietly urged, "Hurry back to me, my love."

"I will. I promise."

"Then kiss me again," she implored. "Kiss me as if it were the last time."

Still confused by her insecurity, he heeded her wishes and kissed her as if it were their final goodbye.

He hoped he would get a promotion soon. The sooner he got better pay, the sooner he could marry her.

And then she would never have to worry about him abandoning her again.

((((())))))

Nefer-Tina checked her appearance in the mirror one last time. She had to be sure that she looked perfectly normal for her visit with Selkis. Selkis was extremely observant. If she noticed anything unusual...

_She won't,_ she promised herself. _She can't._

The dress she wore was the largest she owned and it hung off of her body like a sack. It covered her protruding belly well. No one would be able to tell that she was pregnant.

"We're almost safe, my little one," she told her baby, laying her hands on her belly through the thick material. "Just a little while longer. I promise you."

Today was the day. Everything was at last ready. All of her travel bags were packed and the letter to her parents was well on its way to the farm. All that was left was to speak with Selkis and tell her that she was leaving.

And as soon as that was done, she would walk out of the palace doors for the very last time.

Taking a deep breath, she walked over to her own door and opened it...

Only to find Tia waiting for her.

_No... Oh, gods, no..._

"Good morning, little whore," Tia greeted in her customary way. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

Shock and the fear she had not felt in months immediately filled Nefer-Tina's body.

"No..." she whispered, beginning to tremble as she took a reflexive step backwards.

Why now? Why did she have to show up right _now?_ Now when she was about to leave this place behind her forever? Gods, why?

"I'm sorry I haven't been to see you lately," Tia began, entering the room and causing Nefer-Tina to back up again. "It's just that I have so little time to myself these days. Ja-Kal has been keeping me so busy." She paused, a smile on her lips. "We've grown closer than ever."

As the initial shock wore off, Nefer-Tina did something she had never done before...never been _able_ to do before: she pulled herself back together.

As afraid as she was, Tia and her hatred were nothing compared to what would happen if her secret was found out. Tia's words, as hurtful as they were, were only words. They could not actually do anything to her. But if her pregnancy was discovered...

She _had_ to leave today.

"In fact," Tia continued as she came further into the room, "I have a feeling that he's going to ask me to marry him very soon. Maybe as soon as he gets back from the hunting trip he left on yesterday morning."

_Just let her talk,_ Nefer-Tina told herself, still moving backwards, wanting to keep as much distance between herself and Tia as possible. _Just let her talk and leave._

Tia was just speculating, Nefer-Tina knew. There was no guarantee when Ja-Kal would ask Tia to marry him. But it _was_ something that _was_ going to happen. Ja-Kal loved Tia. It was only a matter of time before she became his wife.

_At least I won't be here to see it,_ she consoled herself.

"Wouldn't that be wonderful?" Tia said with that smile of hers.

Nefer-Tina said nothing. She only continued to back away.

_Finish and leave. Please just leave._

"No," Tia decided, still moving forward, "it wouldn't be to you, would it? Not when you love Ja-Kal so very much."

Nefer-Tina could not suppress the gasp of shock at the revelation. Tia..._knew?_

"Oh my gods..." she whispered.

Tia chuckled, visibly amused by the effect her words were having. "I thought you'd be surprised. Don't you know by now that you can't hide anything from me, little whore? I know everything there is to know about you.

"Everything."

Nefer-Tina's backward motion came to an abrupt end as she ran into her bed. Not knowing what else to do, she sat down on the edge.

She couldn't believe it. Tia knew. She knew!

Yet she hadn't said anything until now. Why?

And if she knew about her love of Ja-Kal...

"Truthfully, how could I _not_ know?" Tia went on as she reached the bed and came to tower over her. "You're so obvious it's sickening. A person would have to be blind not to notice the way you're always staring at him."

_Maybe she doesn't know,_ Nefer-Tina thought with relief. Why else would she have waited so long to "visit" again?

There was also the fact that she had failed to notice the travel packs lying out in the open. Nefer-Tina had moved them there in preparation of her escape. Tia usually noticed _everything._ Then again, she had probably just been too eager to share her "news" to pay attention to her surroundings. Because if she _had_ known of Nefer-Tina's pregnancy and her plans...

"That's how I always seem to find you these days," Tia was saying. "Standing in some doorway, staring like the lovesick girl you are. You really are a disgusting sight to behold. You're very lucky Ja-Kal himself hasn't noticed you.

"Because you know what would happen if he did."

_Finish and leave. Finish and leave,_ Nefer-Tina silently chanted.

She wanted Tia out of her room...her life. The longer she stayed, the greater the chance she _would_ notice the travel packs. All she wanted was to never see her again. And once she left this place she would never have to.

If only she could have seen Ja-Kal just one last time...

"But enough about your ridiculous infatuation with Ja-Kal," Tia suddenly changed the subject. "As enjoyable as I am finding this conversation, it's not the reason I came to see you. You see, little whore, I need your help with something."

Nefer-Tina stared at her in utter disbelief.

Tia needed _her_ help? Was she serious?

"Believe me, you're the last person I would ever want to ask for help," Tia informed her, "but since you're the only musician I know, what choice do I have?"

Musician? Why would Tia, whose low opinion of musicians in general was well-known to Nefer-Tina, need one's help?

Or was this some kind of trick? Nefer-Tina wouldn't put something that low past her.

"There's a rumor that's been going around for weeks," Tia filled her in, "and it concerns an unnamed palace musician. Have you, by any chance, heard it?"

Nefer-Tina shook her head. She hadn't heard any rumors, but, then again, how could she? No one besides Selkis and the other matrons talked to her. (Tabes and her friends only spoke to her when they had something nasty to say.) And they weren't the type to spread rumors.

But Tia's interest in it made her curious. What could the rumor be about?

"No, you wouldn't have, would you?" Tia decided. "That would require you to have friends."

Nefer-Tina ignored the remark. The sooner Tia asked her question, the sooner she would leave. And the sooner she'd never have to see her again...

"Not that it matters," Tia went on. "You don't have to be familiar with the rumor to tell me what I want to know."

Nefer-Tina wondered what Tia possibly thought she knew.

"Have you, by any chance, noticed any...unusual behavior in any of your fellow musicians?" Tia questioned.

"Unusual behavior?" Nefer-Tina repeated, unsure of what Tia was looking for. "W-what do you mean?"

Tia chuckled. "Only you would ask something that stupid. I'll make it simple for you. Have you noticed anyone suddenly doing something they've never done before? Such as a talkative person suddenly becoming very quiet and secretive? Or someone who was known for spending her free time alone suddenly starts going out with friends? _That_ is what I mean."

Nefer-Tina shook her head. "No."

What was this rumor about? And why would someone suddenly changing behavior have anything to do with it?

Tia let out a sigh. "I thought as much. So much for finding out the easy way."

Nefer-Tina was more curious than ever now. Who could it be? And why did Tia want to know so badly?

"Oh well, I guess I'll just have to find the wanton slut some other way."

_So _that's_ why she's interested,_ Nefer-Tina realized. Tia saw this "wanton slut" as yet another threat to her relationship with Ja-Kal. And she wanted to find out who she was in order to warn her to say away from him. Tia's pursuit of this rumor now made perfect sense.

Again she wondered what exactly was the rumor.

"I'm sorry I wasted your time," Tia apologized as she took a couple of steps backwards. "Although it was wonderful seeing you again.

"I'll definitely come back to visit soon," she promised. "Until next time...little whore."

With that, much to Nefer-Tina's relief, Tia turned around and began to walk away.

_Thank the gods._

Nefer-Tina then got to her feet, grateful that she hadn't reached the point in her pregnancy where an act as simple as standing up would become a chore.

It was just one more reason why leaving today was so important.

She glanced up at Tia who had almost reached the door. She had once again passed the travel packs without comment.

Tia finally arrived at the door...

And stopped.

"You know," Tia said thoughtfully, turning back around, "I couldn't help but notice your dress. A little big on you, isn't it?"

Nefer-Tina froze.

"Why are you wearing such a ridiculous thing?" Tia demanded to know. "Are you trying to look stupid?"

Her dress! Oh, gods, her _dress!_

With everything else she had to worry about, she had forgotten all about the dress.

Tia had not seen her in months, not since before the rape. This was the first time she was seeing Nefer-Tina wearing her oversized clothing. Of course she'd want to know why she was dressed that way. So Nefer-Tina would give her the answer she had been giving to everyone else who had asked.

She suppressed her real shock and tried to adopt an air of nonchalance.

She gave a shrug. "I bought this and several others when a merchant was having a sale. The tailor he buys from misread the order and made all the clothing too big. It was a really good deal. How could I have passed it up?"

"Yes. How could you," Tia replied with a smirk. "That is, if that was the real reason."

"Which it is," Nefer-Tina told her, trying to put confidence into her voice. Everyone else had believed this story. Why shouldn't Tia?

Tia gave a harsh laugh. "You'd like me to believe that, wouldn't you?" She took several steps back into the room. "But I know you too well, little whore. You're hiding something under there. I can feel it."  
_Oh, gods!_

"W-why would I-I be hiding anything?" Nefer-Tina tried, the fear starting to come back full force. If Tia got too close to her...

"I can't believe _you_ of all people have the audacity to ask such a question," Tia said as she began walking at a slow and measured pace. "You who have been trying, and failing, to hide your love of _my_ future husband for months. You have no skills for deception. You might as well tell me, little whore, because I _am_ going to find out what it is. With or without your cooperation."

Nefer-Tina felt the fear finally overpower the last of her resolve.

_Oh, gods! Oh, gods!_

She began to move around the bed. "Please. I'm not hiding anything. I-I swear I'm not. Please, Tia."

Tia snorted. "You really _are_ stupid. Don't you know that the more you protest, the more guilty you make yourself look?

"Why don't you make this easy on yourself and just tell me what you've got under there?" Tia continued, coming ever closer. "I know it's not some sort of priceless treasure that you've stolen and are going to try to sell. _That_ kind of crime takes guts, of which we both know you don't have any."

Nefer-Tina said nothing, feeling tears forming in her eyes as she continued backing away. There was no way out of this. Tia _was_ going to discover her secret...her shame.

Her life was over.

"Yet you're obviously running away," Tia went on, still coming, getting closer and closer by the second. "Those travel packs laying blatantly on the floor say it all."

_Oh, gods!_

She _had_ noticed the packs!

The first of the tears began to roll down her cheeks.

"Please..." she whispered as her back bumped into the rear wall. "Please..."

Why was this happening? Why did this _always_ happen? It was so unfair...

"You know, I never did tell you what that rumor was about," Tia suddenly changed the subject, still approaching. "Would you like to know?"

Nefer-Tina said nothing, only crying as Tia continued to close the distance between them.

"It's actually quite scandalous," Tia said with that same smile she always had. "The rumor says that one of the pharaoh's personal musicians has committed the most heinous of crimes. Apparently she gave her virginity up to a married man."

"No..." Nefer-Tina softly cried. "Gods, no..."

Tia finally reached her and Nefer-Tina began to openly sob.

"And now she's carrying his child."

Without another word, Tia reached out with both hands and pressed them against Nefer-Tina's abdomen.

Nefer-Tina gasped between sobs. "No!"

"Well, well, well," Tia commented, drawing her hands back. "It looks like you helped me after all."

"No," Nefer-Tina cried. "Oh, gods! Oh, gods!"

"The little whore shows her true colors at last," Tia smirked. "Tell me. Did you finally tire of waiting for Ja-Kal?"

"No! You don't understand! I-"

"Save your excuses," Tia cut her off. "I'm not interested in hearing any of them.

"But I know someone who is."

"No! Please!"

Tia took a few steps back. "I hope Amenhotep makes you suffer."

"No! Gods, no! Please!"

"Pathetic," Tia snorted, turning around and starting for the door.

"Please!" she sobbed, collapsing to the ground. "Please..."

Tia ignored her and continued walking.

"No... Please..."

"Guards!" she heard Tia's voice call. "I've found her!"

Nefer-Tina could only continue to sob.

((((())))))

"No! It's not true!" Nefer-Tina protested, her throat raw from what felt like hours of defending herself. "I was raped!"

It had only been two days since Tia had discovered her secret and called the guards on her. Two days since she had been bodily dragged to stand, sobbing, before the pharaoh in the middle of his crowded thrown room. Two days since she had been openly accused of committing adultery with a married man who had fathered her child. Two days since she had been called a liar when she had told them she was innocent, that she had been raped.

Amenhotep had immediately denounced her story, saying it was a cover. He had informed her that if she had truly been raped, she would have reported it. (He had cut her off as she had tearfully tried to explain her actions.) She was obviously protecting her lover. He had then demanded that she give him the name of her child's father, which was impossible.

Nefer-Tina's inability to provide a name had been seen as an act of open defiance. Amenhotep had become furious, thinking Nefer-Tina was purposely withholding the name. It appeared to the pharaoh and the entire court that she was being arrogant and disrespectful despite the fact that she had only continued to sob. So he had ordered her thrown into a jail cell where she would stay until the day of her trial. She had then been bodily dragged once again, this time out of the throne room and down to the palace jail.

So for two days she had sat in her small cell, visited by no one except for the servants who brought her her food and Scarab, the royal vizier. Scarab's visits, however, had not been social. (Scarab was a nasty man and it had made her uncomfortable to even be in the same room with him.) Amenhotep had sent him to urge her to reconsider her story. She was told that if she did not reveal her lover's name that she would receive twice the normal punishment for the crime of adultery. The punishment was usually split equally between the two participants. Without her lover, she would have to take on his punishment as well as her own. (How she now wished there _had_ been a lover.) But Scarab had left every time without a name because there was no name to give.

So she was now standing before the pharaoh once again. And, once again, she was being called a liar despite the fact that everything she was saying was the truth. She was both terrified and humiliated. Terrified because of what would happen to her once Amenhotep got tired of ignoring her cries. And humiliated because she was being made to seem as if she were nothing but a despicable adulteress. She had never felt so alone.

"We grow tired of your lies," Scarab informed her as he slowly paced around the open center of the throne room. "As I'm sure you are growing tired of telling them. I know you want this trial to end, Nefer-Tina. But you are the only one who has the power to end it. Tell us your lover's name and it will all be over. Tell us. End this."

"I can't tell you what I don't know!" she insisted. "I was raped!"

"Why do you continue with these lies?" Scarab pressed. "We know you're guilty. All you have to do is admit it and tell us your lover's name. Then and only then will your trial be over. It's such a simple act. Why not do it? Tell us and end this. That's all you have to do. Just tell us."

"I was raped!" she repeated. "Why won't you believe me?"

"We will as soon as you tell us his name," Scarab told her. "Just give us your lover's name and this will end. Don't make this any harder than it has to be. We know you're guilty. Why continue to play these pointless games?"

"It's not a game!" she cried, fresh tears rolling down her cheeks. She was so tired and so scared. She wanted this to be over so badly but yet she did not want it to end until someone, _anyone_ believed her. Someone _had_ to! "I was raped! I swear on the names of all the gods!"

"Have you no shame?" Scarab questioned. "You dare to bring the gods into your lies? The audacity! May they have mercy on you."

"But I'm not lying!" she pressed. "Please! I swear! I'm telling the truth! Please! Believe me! Please!"

For a moment, she considered turning to the crowd of spectators and pleading with them. But just the thought of seeing Tia among them made her decide against it.

She knew Tia was out there. And she knew she was enjoying every moment of this torture.

_At least Ja-Kal's not here,_ she told herself. To think of him seeing her as an adulteress made her ill. She loved him so much. To have him only know her to hate her... Better that he remained unaware of her existence.

"I've heard enough of this nonsense," Scarab decided. He turned his attention back to the pharaoh. "I see no reason to continue questioning her. I think she's made it perfectly clear that she won't confess her crime.

"I suggest you just sentence her and be done with it."

"No!" Nefer-Tina burst out, stark terror at the prospect of sentencing coursing through her. "Please! I'm telling the truth! Please! Please! Believe me! I was raped! I swear it! Please!"

"You can stop your lying now," Scarab informed her. "It's pointless to continue. You've lost."

"No!" Nefer-Tina cried frantically. "No! Please! Gods, no! Please! I was raped! I was-"

"Silence!" Amenhotep cut her off.

"Please!" she sobbed. "Gods, _please!_"

"You will be silent!" the pharaoh ordered and Nefer-Tina broke down completely.

She could not control herself. She sobbed uncontrollably, knowing that her life, and the life of her unborn child, was truly over. She sank to her knees, unable to stand any longer. She was terrified, afraid of what the next few moments would bring her.

She was probably going to die.

"Nefer-Tina," the pharaoh spoke and she raised her tear-blurred eyes to see that he had gotten to his feet.

"You stand before me accused of the crime of adultery. You are unquestionably guilty, as your condition makes perfectly clear. Yet you refuse to admit what you have done or speak the name of your lover. You only tell lie after lie. For that alone you can be put to death."

Nefer-Tina dropped her gaze, feeling cold inside. _This is it,_ she told herself. _I'm going to die._

"However, I find myself instead admiring the strength you are displaying," the pharaoh said, surprising her enough to bring her eyes back to him. "You have unfailing clung to your story despite the fact that everyone knows that it is a lie. Most would have given in by now. You have courage, a rare trait among most, especially the condemned. And for that, I will ignore your blatant lies."

He stepped away from his throne and came towards her.

She immediately looked down again.

"However," Amenhotep continued, "you must suffer for your other transgressions. They are too great to ignore. I cannot in good conscience let you go unpunished. But you do not have to bear the weight of your crimes alone.

"Tell me the name of your lover. Speak it so that he may share your burden of punishment. He deserves to suffer as you do. Tell me his name. His name, Nefer-Tina. That is all you have to say. Say it."

Nefer-Tina said nothing. She had nothing to say. He was asking her for something she could not give. And because she could not give it to him, she was about to pay the price.

_Please don't kill me,_ she silently begged. _I don't want to die._

"Very well," Amenhotep said. "You have left me with no choice."

She heard him walk away and she assumed he returned to his throne.

"I will now commence the sentencing," the pharaoh announced. "The prisoner will now stand."

_No! No! No!_ she wailed. She was too afraid and too weak to get back on her feet. She didn't want to hear this. She was so scared.

It was only moments before she felt the now familiar rough touch of the guards as they hauled her to her feet and dragged her to stand before the throne.

"You will look at me, Nefer-Tina," the pharaoh insisted and she obeyed.

"Nefer-Tina, I, Amenhotep I, ruler of all Egypt, find you guilty of the crime of adultery. You are also guilty of breaking the curfew set for my personal servants as well as breaking the rule of virginity. No female personal servant of mine may be anything but a virgin unless married. You are neither a virgin nor married and are with the child of a married man."

Nefer-Tina felt like she was going to lose control again. She was so afraid. What was going to happen to her?

"For your crimes, you are hereby banished from my palace and the city of Memphis," the pharaoh announced.

"If you are ever caught here after today, you will be immediately put to death."

Nefer-Tina was too shocked to immediately react. Banished. She was only banished, not being put to death.

It was both a relief and the realization that an even worse nightmare was about to begin.

She would have to go home to face Mama and Papa.

Mama and Papa who would now hate her.

"I declare this trial to be over," the pharaoh called out. "Guards, remove the prisoner and see to it that she is gone before the sun sets.

"If she is still here after that time, she will be executed."

Nefer-Tina did not even fight as the guards moved to take her by the arms again and remove her from the throne room.

((((())))))

Nefer-Tina waited until the guards had shut the door before sinking onto her bed and starting to sob once more.

She only had hours to gather all of her belongings and leave Memphis altogether. As the pharaoh had said, to be here after sunset would mean her death. But at this moment, she was still too shaken to move.

What was going to happen to her now? She knew of only one place to go and it was now the last that she wanted to be.

Mama and Papa would have received her letter by now. The letter which told them that she was resigning her position as a palace musician and leaving Memphis without giving a reason why. Once they heard about her arrest and the rumor that led to it, they would believe they knew her reason. And when she showed up and told them of her banishment...

They would never believe she had been raped. Not after the letter and what had happened to her. They would only see her as the disgusting adulteress that everyone else did. It would not matter that she was their only child. They would probably throw her out.

Where would she go after that happened? What would she do? She was so alone and so afraid. In fact, she was more afraid for her baby than herself.

Before she had been banished, she had a chance of starting over somewhere new. But now her name would be known throughout all Egypt. Everyone would hate her and think of her as a lowly criminal. Her child's life would be made miserable because of what had happened to her. Because of _her,_ her precious child would suffer.

It wasn't fair.

Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the sound of someone opening her door.

At first, the terrifying thought that it could be Tia struck her but instead she found herself staring in shock at Selkis.

Nefer-Tina did not know how to react. Selkis was the last person she had ever expected to see again. She had not spoken to her since the day before her arrest.

Selkis had been so kind to her ever since she had arrived here. The only person, in fact, to show her any compassion at all. So what did Selkis feel towards her now that she was a criminal in the eyes of the law?

Betrayal was the only thing Nefer-Tina could think of. Selkis probably believed she had used her in some way to cover up for her crimes. She most likely thought Nefer-Tina had played the part of the innocent only as a way of hiding her true nature, a vile adulteress. Selkis must hate her now. As Mama and Papa hated her now...

Silently, she watched as Selkis gently closed the door behind her. Without a word, she made her away across the room and sat down on the edge of Nefer-Tina's bed next to her.

Nefer-Tina braced herself, uncertain of what Selkis was going to do or say.

Selkis then did the unexpected: she opened up her arms.

For a moment, Nefer-Tina hesitated, unsure of what Selkis intended. Was this a trick of some kind?

But when Nefer-Tina didn't come to her, Selkis moved close to her and wrapped her in her arms.

Nefer-Tina tensed up, still not knowing what Selkis wanted.

"It's all right," Selkis quietly spoke, obviously sensing Nefer-Tina's fear. "I'm not here to hurt you. I believe you."

With those words, Nefer-Tina's fear instantly vanished and she broke down once again.

"Oh, my poor, poor Nefer-Tina," Selkis soothed, holding her as tightly as Mama used to. Mama who hated her now... "What you must be going through. Poor child."

When her tears finally began to subside, Selkis softly told her, "It's going to be all right. Don't worry. I'm going to help you."

"W-why do y-you believe m-me?" Nefer-Tina sniffled as she struggled to stop crying. "N-no one else d-does."

"Because I know you," Selkis informed her. "Genubath told me about you when he brought you here and then I observed you with my own eyes. You have such a sweet and gentle nature. No one like that can commit something like adultery.

"I knew something had happened to you when you told me that you were sick that morning all those months ago," Selkis continued. "You looked more...afraid than sick. I just had no idea that it was rape. Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I was so afraid," Nefer-Tina whispered. "I knew what people thought of women who gave up their virginity before marriage. And I knew I'd be punished for breaking curfew. I knew you'd hate me."

"Is that why you kept your pregnancy a secret too?" Selkis gently questioned.

Nefer-Tina nodded.

"Oh, child," Selkis said, "I could never hate you." She began to stroke her back. "Never. You're such a good girl, a sweet girl. You're more like a daughter to me than anything else."

Startled, Nefer-Tina pulled away from her arms and looked at her in surprise. "A-a daughter? Really?"

Selkis smiled. "Is that so hard to believe?" She reached out and wiped a tear away. "You're so different from any other musician I've ever known. You're so sweet and gentle. You don't see your abilities as a tool, but as a gift. The way you play... You're a remarkable girl. If I had a daughter of my own, I'd want her to be exactly like you."

"T-thank you," Nefer-Tina breathed, deeply touched.

"Now, tell me how I can help you," Selkis said, taking Nefer-Tina's hands in her own. "Anything you want, anything you need. Tell me what it is and it's yours."

"I don't think you can give me what I want," Nefer-Tina sighed.

"Try me," Selkis asserted. "I may be a woman, but I do have some power here."

Nefer-Tina smiled weakly at that. "It's not anything anyone can do. I want my parents not to hate me."

"Nefer-Tina," Selkis sighed, shaking her head, "how could you think that? They're your parents. They will love you no matter what. Didn't they send you here because of their love for you?"

"Yes, but that was before I became a disgrace," Nefer-Tina pointed out. "I've failed them. They sent me here because they believed it was better for me here. And look how I've repaid them."

"Nothing that happened was your fault," Selkis told her. "You were a victim. You were raped and became pregnant because of that. They won't hate you for something you had no choice in. In fact, I don't believe they could ever hate you at all. Not if they know you as I do."

"You don't understand," Nefer-Tina pressed. "I sent them a letter. A letter telling them that I didn't want to be a palace musician anymore and that I was leaving. When they find out about my banishment-"

"I think you underestimate your parents' love for you," Selkis interrupted. "They _know_ you. They will understand why you sent it and what you were planning. Though I think you might have had a little difficulty getting by me."

Nefer-Tina gave another tiny smile at that.

"Now," Selkis continued, putting an arm around Nefer-Tina, "I think it's time we start planning how you're going to get home..."

((((())))))

Nefer-Tina grew increasingly nervous as the wagon she was riding in drew nearer and nearer to her childhood home. Because she knew that the moment she arrived was the moment Mama and Papa would confront her. And it was a confrontation she longed to avoid.

Selkis was wrong. Mama and Papa couldn't love her anymore. Not now. She was a disgrace, a shamed member of society. She had failed them. Her banishment had sealed her fate. She had no doubt they'd throw her out as soon as they saw her. If only she didn't have to face them at all...

"T-turn around," she ordered the driver, making a sudden decision. "I want to go someplace else."

The driver, a man named Jarha, looked at her in surprise.

"Right now? But we're almost-"

"Please," she urged. "I... I...can't go back there."

Jarha gently pulled back on the reins and the wagon came to a stop. He then turned his full attention to his passenger.

"Why not?" he bluntly asked.

Jarha was not just any ordinary driver. He was one of Selkis's personal servants and he had been charged with safely bringing her wherever she wanted. Nefer-Tina had been in the room as Selkis summoned him and gave him his instructions. They were to be followed exactly. And Nefer-Tina had no doubt they would be. Selkis was not a woman to be crossed.

"Because," she started. "I... I can't. I just can't."

"Why?" he pressed.

Nefer-Tina looked away from his gaze. "Because they hate me."

"Who? Your parents?"

She nodded.

"Do you know for a fact that they hate you?"

"How can they not?" she pointed out, still not looking at him. "I failed them. They sent me to Memphis to make a life for myself and look what happened. I'm a disgrace. They have to hate me. I've shamed my entire family."

"No you haven't," Jarha said. "You were accused and punished for a crime you didn't commit. You parents will know this."

Nefer-Tina was startled.

"Y-you _believe_ me?" she questioned, finally meeting his gaze again.

Jarha had never once mentioned her trial and banishment during their ride for the past two days. She had assumed that either he was just being polite or that Selkis had ordered him to remain silent about it. It didn't matter. She had appreciated the fact that nothing had been said. The two of them had been having normal conversations, which her life had been sorely lacking ever since she joined the palace musicians. It had been nice.

"Anyone who knows you personally would believe you," he told her. "You don't have what it takes to be an adulteress."

She was stunned by what he said. And touched.

"T-thank you," she managed.

"You're a sweet girl," Jarha continued. "Girls who commit adultery are anything but sweet. They're vicious hunters and don't care about anyone but themselves."

The mention of the word "hunters" brought a pang to her heart. It reminded her of the man she loved but would never see again...

"And no one knows you better than your parents," he went on. "They'll know you're innocent. You'll see."

"I hope you're right," she sighed, knowing deep down that he wasn't. They hated her. They had to. _She_ would hate herself and, in a way, did. Why did these things always happen to her?

"I am," he assured her. "Now, may I tell the horses to start moving again?"

"All right," she said, accepting that there was no avoiding her parents no matter how much she wanted it.

As the wagon resumed its forward motion, Nefer-Tina began to mentally prepare herself for the hatred and disgust that her parents were going to greet her with.

((((())))))

Karem sat with her share of the day's mending, but her mind was on anything but the chore. She was too guilt-ridden. Her daughter was suffering and it was all her fault.

Nefer-Tina had not been ready to leave home and now her life had been ruined because of her parents' meddling. She and Rekhmire had been too concerned about her future to see her present. Of all people, they should have realized that the trauma of entering a new situation all by herself would have been too much for their still-young daughter. Now it was too late and Nefer-Tina was in unimaginable pain.

The moment she had received Nefer-Tina's letter she should have known that something was wrong. Nefer-Tina's message had been vague and unsettling. Why would she suddenly decide to quit being a palace musician after only nine months? It had made no sense, but Karem had made the mistake of putting it aside. She hadn't even shared it with Rekhmire, not wanting to burden her already overwhelmed husband with her "minor" concerns. Her reasons had seemed valid at the time, but now she knew it had been a horrible error. The official notice that had been delivered the next day had proved that all too well.

She had made the critical mistake of putting their struggling farm ahead of her only child. It was a decision that would haunt her for the rest of her life, she knew. So what if it had been a poor harvest? So what if they could lose their land if they didn't make quota? Nefer-Tina should have come first. Where they lived didn't matter. How they lived was more important.

A thousand scenarios of what could have happened constantly ran through her mind. Nefer-Tina was no adulteress. At least, not a willing one. Her daughter was an innocent, too sweet and trusting for her own good. She had probably reached out in her loneliness and latched onto a man who had used her innocence to his own advantage. Nefer-Tina had most likely believed that he loved her. And because of that belief, she had gotten caught and would very soon be punished for it, if it hadn't happened already.

Karem wanted so badly to go to Memphis to be with her during this horrible time, but she had no means of getting there. Rekhmire could not spare a man to bring her. He needed every one of his workers to be out in the fields in a desperate attempt to meet quota. She hadn't even dared to ask him, knowing that it would only lead to a furious outburst.

Rekhmire had been almost impossible to live with these past several weeks. The poor crop had put him under incredible stress and he was not handling it well. Every little thing set him off. She had to constantly remind herself that he was normally a good and loving man. Every night she prayed to the gods that they make quota and that they have a bountiful harvest next season. She wanted her husband back.

She had actually been afraid of him the day they got the official notice of Nefer-Tina's arrest. She had never seen him so angry. He had said things, horrible things that he could not possibly mean about Nefer-Tina. She knew it was only the stress talking and tried not to take it to heart, but it was difficult when they were being said about his own child.

She sighed and tried to concentrate on the mending. All she wanted was for the harvest season to be over so Rekhmire would go back to the way he normally was. She didn't think she could live with him like this much longer. And she feared more than anything what would happen when Nefer-Tina inevitably came back home. She doubted time away from home had changed her daughter's overly sensitive nature...

"Karem!"

She looked up from the pile in her lap to see Anhay race into the room.

"Karem! You have to come right now!"

The look on the woman's face sent fear coursing through Karem's body.

"What is it, Anhay?" she asked setting the mending aside and rising to her feet. "What's going on?"

The only thing that came to mind was that something had happened to Rekhmire. Or that he had done something to someone else in a fit of rage.

"Just come," Anhay urged, taking her by the arm. "Please."

"What is it? Tell me!" Karem begged, extremely nervous. "Is someone hurt?"

"N-no," Anhay told her, gently pulling her along. "It's... Well, you better come see for yourself."

"Tell me! Please!" she demanded, refusing to take another step until she knew what was going on.

Anhay swallowed. "It's Nefer-Tina."

_Oh, gods!_

She was home! Her poor baby was home! But why was Anhay so upset? She had begged Rekhmire to keep Nefer-Tina's arrest a secret from the rest of the farm. Her argument had been that it would take their concentration away from the harvest. Rekhmire had agreed and nothing had been said. So what had Anhay so worked up? Was something...?

"What about Nefer-Tina, Anhay?" Karem pressed. "Is she all right? Has she been hurt? Is she-?"

"Just come," Anhay repeated, tugging on her arm. "You need to see this for yourself."

Karem was suddenly very afraid for her child. Why wouldn't Anhay tell her what was wrong? Why the secrecy?

She allowed Anhay to lead her through the house and to the front door.

"Try not to overreact when you see her," Anhay instructed.

Overreact? Her fear tripled. Something was obviously terribly wrong.

Then Anhay opened the door and stepped aside.

Karem quickly followed her and was surprised to find a large crowd gathered in front of the house. It appeared as if a large number of the field workers had seen the wagon coming and had stopped what they were doing to find out who the visitors were. (Visitors were a rare occurrence at the farm.) She did not see Nefer-Tina at first and began to frantically search for her.

She found her almost immediately. She was hugging Pakhet.

"Nefer-Tina," Karem called out to her daughter, both worried and thrilled. It had been so long since she had seen her. She longed to hold her in her arms and tell her how much she loved her.

Nefer-Tina's gaze turned up, a strange look on her face. "Mama?"

Karem was baffled by Nefer-Tina's expression. She seemed almost...afraid. Why would she be afraid?

Karem opened her arms invitingly to show Nefer-Tina that there was nothing to be afraid of. She was home now and that was all that mattered. She would get all the love and attention she needed.

"Welcome home, Nefer-Tina," Karem smiled.

Nefer-Tina, that expression still on her face, moved slowly away from Pakhet and Karem finally knew why Anhay had been so shaken.

Nefer-Tina was pregnant.

((((())))))

Nefer-Tina was very confused. At first, Mama had been smiling and holding out her arms as if what had happened didn't matter. Then her smile had disappeared and her arms had been taken away. So did Mama hate her or not?

"Oh, gods," Mama breathed, her hands flying up to cover her mouth.

"Mama?" Nefer-Tina asked, taking a tentative step forward. If Mama didn't hate her...

"Oh, my baby," Mama said as her hands fell away. The smile came back. "My poor-"

"What's going on here?" a loud voice cut Mama off.

A loud, _familiar_ voice.

_Papa!_

Nefer-Tina turned to see Papa angrily walking up to the house.

"Why aren't any of you working?" Papa demanded to know, sounding madder than she had ever heard him. "Get back to work!"

Nefer-Tina did not know what to do. If Papa was already angry and then he saw her...

"I said get back to work!" Papa shouted as he pushed his way through the crowd. "Are you all deaf? We have quotas to make!"

Nefer-Tina turned to Mama, who had suddenly gone pale.

"Mama?"

"Nefer-Tina, I-"

"You!" Papa cried out and Nefer-Tina knew she had been seen.

She immediately began to panic. There was no doubt in her mind that Papa hated her and didn't love her anymore. What was she going to do?

Papa walked right up to her and Nefer-Tina felt herself begin to tremble. The expression on Papa's face... It frightened her.

"Everyone get back to work now. That's an order," Papa commanded, his gaze never leaving her face. "Anyone still here in ten seconds will be out of a job."

Nefer-Tina swallowed. She had never seen Papa like this before. He was not the man she remembered. She feared whatever was going to come next.

"You too, Karem," Papa added and Nefer-Tina looked to see that Mama was the only person still there. Everyone else had fled and gotten back to work. Mama alone had stayed.

"But-"

"In the house," Papa cut her off. "Now."

Mama started to move towards Nefer-Tina.

"Now," Papa repeated and Mama turned away.

"Mama," Nefer-Tina murmured.

"You have no right to call her that anymore," Papa began, startling her with the sudden calmness in his voice. "Not after what you've done to this family."

Nefer-Tina was too afraid to say anything in response. But what could she say? Wasn't Papa right in a way?

"We were only told that you had been arrested for adultery," Papa continued. "Now that you're here I can see that it's much worse. I hope you don't expect your mother or myself to care for your bastard child for you. You're the one who made the mistake. You're the one who's going to have to live with the consequences."

Now Nefer-Tina understood why Mama had been so surprised. They hadn't known she was pregnant. Mama had seemed to still love her before finding out. Now after hearing what Papa said she knew that she was unloved by either Mama or Papa. And he had all but outright said that he was throwing her out.

But the _way_ Papa was talking to her... She had been prepared for yelling and screaming. Instead he was being so cold. She decided that this was much, much worse.

"I hope you realize how ashamed of you we are," Papa went on. "We gave you an opportunity to make something of yourself and instead you threw it all away for some man. Was it worth it? Your mother and I worked so hard to make sure you could have the best life possible and look how you repaid us. You disgust me."

"Papa," she whispered.

"Don't 'Papa' me," he shot back at her. "You don't have that right anymore. Only my daughter is allowed to call me that. But you're not my daughter. My daughter would never have done something as selfish and immoral as you did. You're a stranger to me. I don't even know you."

_You're not my daughter._

The words stabbed deep into her heart.

_You're not my daughter._

Unimaginable pain filled her body as she realized what had just happened.

_You're not my daughter._

Tears began to fall as the last remaining part of her childhood was cruelly ripped away from her.

_You're not my daughter._

She had just been disowned. Her father had proclaimed that he was no longer her father.

She was now truly alone.

Papa was still talking, but she didn't hear any of it. She couldn't listen to his voice anymore. Not after what he had said...

"Get out of my sight," Papa's voice loudly cut through her misery.

She didn't hesitate.

Her vision blinded by tears, she began to run as fast as her swollen body would allow. She didn't know where she was going, just that she had to get away from the man who used to be her father...

((((())))))

Mehy looked up from his conversation with Jarha at the sound of the bedroom door opening.

An exhausted Pakhet emerged and she quietly closed the door behind herself.

"She's finally asleep," she wearily announced. "The poor thing couldn't stop crying. I've never seen her so upset."

"She's never had a reason to be before," Mehy pointed out. "Gods damn Rekhmire's newfound temper."

Mehy had gotten a very bad feeling when Rekhmire had angrily ordered everyone to get back to work. So he had remained where he was, knowing that Nefer-Tina was going to need him after her father got through with her. And he had been right. After Nefer-Tina had starting running away from Rekhmire, Mehy had chased after her and easily caught her. She had not been able to speak because she had been crying so hard.

Jarha, the man who had driven her home from Memphis, had also followed her when she started running. Mehy had asked him to wait with her while he went to get Pakhet. Pakhet had always been like a second mother to her and a mother was obviously what she had needed at the moment. He had doubted that Karem would be available to comfort the sobbing girl.

He had found Pakhet with Karem, who was almost as upset as her daughter. They had both overheard Rekhmire's words and no one knew Nefer-Tina's sensitivity better than Karem. She feared the worst, especially under the circumstances.

Karem had then told the couple why Nefer-Tina had come home. Much to their shock, Nefer-Tina had been banished on charges of adultery, an impossible crime for someone like Nefer-Tina. It was obviously a horrible misunderstanding that had spiraled out of control. But whatever had really happened would have to wait until later. Nefer-Tina's present situation had been more important.

Mehy had then told the two women that he had caught Nefer-Tina as she ran away from her father and that she was crying uncontrollably. Karem had immediately told Pakhet to go with him to help calm Nefer-Tina down and that she would come as soon as possible. She, unfortunately, was stuck there until after dinner because Rekhmire would expect her to eat with him as always. Pakhet and Mehy had then rushed back to Jarha and the still sobbing Nefer-Tina and brought them back to their house.

"I still can't believe he said that," Pakhet commented as she joined them at the table. "He knows how fragile she is. This harvest has knocked all common sense out of him."

"I find it impossible to believe that that man I saw is a caring person," Jarha stated. "No one can change so thoroughly overnight."

"Believe it," Mehy said. "This bad harvest has done just that. Until this year, he led a life blessed by the gods. He's never had to deal with a poor crop before and he's not handling it well. It's just unfortunate that he's taking out his frustration on everyone around him."

"If you had met him anytime before this current season, you'd think him to be one of the kindest people in all of Egypt," Pakhet put in. "If he wasn't, do you think we would have stayed on his farm for so long?"

"Every one of us who works for him is clinging to the hope that things will return to normal once the season ends," Mehy told him.

"But that doesn't do Nefer-Tina any good now, does it?" Jarha pointed out.

"You're right," Mehy sighed. "She can't stay here with Rekhmire acting this way. Especially not in her condition. She needs to be in a calm and caring environment."

"I have a cousin in Thebes who would be more than happy to take in a girl in need," Jarha offered. "She's a midwife and her husband is a physician. The two of them have six grown children and have been known to take in a stray or two over the years. They would take good care of her, and when the time comes, her baby."

"What a wonderful idea," Pakhet smiled. "Thank you."

"It's the least I could do," he said. "As I've told your husband, I feel very responsible for what happened between Nefer-Tina and her father. She didn't want to come back here and I insisted that she should."

"And as I told you," Mehy spoke up, "you had no way of-"

He was cut off by a knock at the door.

"Karem," Pakhet decided, rising from the table. "I'll let her in."

Mehy nodded at her and watched her until she disappeared from view.

"Karem has always been able to talk Nefer-Tina out of her misconceptions," he told Jarha. "But I don't know how easy it'll be this time. She's been through so much."

"Selkis was always remarking about how sensitive Nefer-Tina was, but I don't think even she realized how much," Jarha said, referring to the head matron of the palace musicians. Jarha was one of her personal servants and had shared with Mehy how fond of Nefer-Tina she was. "After what I've seen and what you've told me, it's a wonder she was able to live away from home at all."

"She's a lot stronger than she seems," Mehy assured him. "I've experienced it first hand. She'll get through this all right. She just needs to be convinced that her parents still love her."

"Jarha," Pakhet announced as she reentered the room with a very pale Karem, "this is Karem, Nefer-Tina's mother. Karem, this is Jarha. He is a personal servant of Selkis, head matron of the palace musicians. He's the one who brought Nefer-Tina home."

Jarha rose to his feet and extended a hand. "A pleasure to meet the mother of such a sweet girl. I'm so sorry that it has to be under such circumstances."

Karem accepted his hand. "Yes, I agree. Thank you for bringing my baby back home to me. And allow me to apologize for my husband's appalling behavior. As I'm sure Mehy and Pakhet have explained to you, he's not always like that."

"Yes," Jarha replied as they all sat back down at the table, "they have. Though I'm finding it hard to believe."

"Jarha," Mehy said, "why don't you tell Karem about your cousin? Karem, Jarha has an idea that I think you'll really like."

"Please," Karem urged, "tell me all about it."

"Well, I have a cousin..."

((((())))))

Nefer-Tina awoke to find herself in almost complete darkness.

_I wonder what time it is,_ she thought as she slowly worked herself into a sitting position, a task that only grew more difficult with each passing month.

She didn't remember much of yesterday after...what had happened. She remembered just wanting to get away from Papa. She had started to run and then Mehy had grabbed her. Wonderful Mehy, who was her best friend in the entire world. Mehy had held her as she cried. And Jarha had been there too. And so had Pakhet...

Pakhet had sat with her until she had fallen asleep. They had brought her back to Mehy and Pakhet's house and taken her into the bedroom they had given to her when she was five. (Mehy and Pakhet had by then realized that they would never have a child of their own so they had given her the room they had hoped would belong to one. Nefer-Tina hadn't realized the significance of the act until almost ten years after the fact.) In the bed where she had spent many afternoons and nights, she had once again cried herself to sleep, something that had become more and more common these days.

Why did things keep going so wrong for her? She had been prepared to be hated and to be thrown out, but disowned? Such a thing had never crossed her mind. Then again, neither had rape...

Tears filled her eyes at the memory of Papa's words. She had never dreamed that her parents would be so disgusted with what they believed to have been her actions that they would no longer want her in the family. She had known they would never forgive her, but disown her? Just thinking about it made her sick.

So what was she going to do now? The only certainty was that she had to leave. She couldn't stay on the farm. Papa had made it clear that he and Mama never wanted to see her again. They hated her so much...

_Papa... Mama..._

Thinking about them only made her want to cry again...

She wiped the tears from her eyes and tried to get a hold on herself. This was not the time for crying. Leaving here was more important. She had to get away as soon as possible. Right now...

She had to leave now, she realized, before there was anyone up to try and stop her. She knew Mehy and Pakhet would want her to stay with them as she knew Raia would too if he saw her. But none of them had heard what Papa had said. They didn't know how much he and Mama hated her...that they had disowned her. It was better to sneak out without saying goodbye.

She maneuvered her oversized body out of the bed and got to her feet as quietly as possible. She waited until her eyes had adjusted to the semi-darkness before trying to locate the door. But just as she was going to start towards the door, something hit her: she didn't have any of her travel packs.

Everything she needed to create a new life for herself and her baby where in those packs. Without them she had nothing. No money, no clothes, no maps. Nothing.

What was she going to do now?

_I'll worry about it later,_ she decided. All that mattered to her at the moment was leaving. She could always earn some money by singing somewhere...

Taking a deep breath, she stealthily raced through the bedroom and went out the door.

((((())))))

Nefer-Tina felt a wave of guilt as she hitched the horse to the wagon. She had never stolen anything before in her life and it made her feel terrible, especially since it was from the only people left in the world that cared about her. Mehy and Pakhet would have to understand. She had no other choice.

She finished with the horse and made her way over to the wagon. She had no idea where she would go. Without a map, she couldn't have a specific destination in mind. So she'd just drive until she came upon a village. She doubted the word of her banishment had spread throughout all of Egypt yet. After all, she was just a minor palace musician, no one of importance. She should be all right.

_At least, I hope I'll be._

With that thought, she began to climb into the wagon.

"Need some help?"

The unexpected voice startled her and she froze. She had been caught!

"Because you definitely look like you could use some."

That voice...

"Don't you know by now that girls can't be caught driving?"

"Raia," she breathed as she turned around to find her other best friend from her lost childhood. What was he doing up at this hour?

"Hey there, kiddo," Raia smiled. "Trying to leave again without stopping by to say hello or goodbye to me? I'm insulted."

"Raia..." she repeated, feeling her composure and determination slipping away.

"Come here," he said, opening his arms.

She ran into them, the tears she had tried so hard to hold back falling freely.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there for you yesterday," he apologized. "I was working the far outskirts of the fields and didn't find out you were back until it was too late. I went by Mehy's, but I was told you were sleeping and couldn't be disturbed.

"I heard what happened with your father. Stupid man. He's been such a grouch lately. He really needs to have someone knock some sense into him."

_Because of me,_ she suddenly realized. Papa must have gotten so upset over her supposed crimes that he was taking it out on everyone! It was all her fault! Everything was her fault...

"Mehy told me about why you're home," Raia continued as she softly sobbed. "You poor kid. Why didn't you tell anyone what happened?"

"Because I was so afraid," she managed. "I had broken curfew and I thought I'd get in trouble. I didn't want to get in trouble. So I kept it a secret."

"That's my Nefer-Tina," Raia sighed. "Always assuming the worst. So what's the story now? Why are you sneaking out before dawn?"

"Mama and Papa hate me," she informed him, "so I'm going to leave. Why should I stay where I'm not wanted?"

"They don't hate you," Raia corrected her. "They could never hate you. Don't you know that by now?"

_Yes they do,_ she silently amended. Raia himself had told her that he hadn't been there yesterday when she first got home. He hadn't seen how angry Papa was, how shocked Mama had looked. They _did_ hate her and they had disowned her.

"I just want to go someplace else," she told him instead of answering. She broke out of his embrace. "I just can't be here anymore. I... Please don't tell anyone you saw me. Please."

Raia folded his arms. "And just where do you think you're going to go?"

She shrugged.

"So let me get this straight, You, a girl, are going to try to just drive anywhere and think no one's going to notice?"

"I'll cover myself up when someone else is around," she informed him. "I used to pull off being a guy pretty well when I raced."

"Uh-huh," Raia said, sounding unconvinced. "It's not going to work. Not anymore. You're a little old to pass for a boy. And not to mention the condition you're in will make it even more impossible. You won't get past one village without being caught. You'd be better off staying here."

"No," she disagreed. "I just want to leave. Please."

"Your parents will miss you," he tried, again proving how little he knew of what had happened.

"No," she repeated. "Please, just let me leave. Please."

"You can stay with me and Nebetawy," he offered. "We'd love to have you."

"No," she said again. "I want to leave. Please, Raia. Please."

He sighed. "I take it that there's nothing that will change your mind."

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "I just... Please understand. Please."

"Well, I definitely don't understand," Raia let her know, "but if you won't change your mind, there's only one thing left for me to do."

Nefer-Tina sucked in a breath, fearing that he would bodily bring her back to his own house.

"I'm just going to have to drive you myself," he announced. "You'll never pass yourself off as a man! You're too pretty!"

Nefer-Tina just smiled in relief and gratitude.

((((())))))

"Well, what do you know," Wsir mused to himself as he watched the wagon being stealthily led out of the stable, "looks like she was right after all."

Three days ago, a mysterious woman had come to him with a strange offer. (Mysterious because she had kept her face hidden behind a veil and refused to tell him her name. But after hearing her offer, he had had a good idea why.) For a large sum of money, all he would have to do would be follow the newly banished musician wherever she went for one week. It was a very simple job.

He had hesitated to accept at first because it was unheard of for a royal hunter to accept outside work (not forbidden, just unheard of). There was a certain expectation of exclusivity once a member of the Royal Hunt and he feared earning a bad reputation before he had even had a chance to prove himself. After all, he had only been chosen to join two months ago. What would it say about him if he took a side job so soon?

Besides, there really wasn't any mystery in where the girl would go. Everyone knew that little girls ran back to their mama and papa when upset. It was a known fact.

"She won't stay there," the woman had told him. "I know her too well. And I want to know where she goes from there. That's why I need you to follow her."

"The woman had then gone on to say "think about your family. Think of what you can do with the money you'll earn from this small task. Your wife will thank you for it."

Wsir had not been able to argue with that logic. Right now he and Duathor had practically nothing to their name. With a baby on the way, he needed all the money he could get. Being a member of the Royal Hunt did not pay well. So he had agreed to do the job.

The woman had seemed unsurprised by his decision. She had then proceeded to give him the details, which were to just follow the girl and report back her final location at the end of one week. She had provided him with a time and place for their meeting. He would be paid upon completion of the task.

So here he was, watching as the girl sneaked out of her house before dawn. (He was glad he had gone with his instincts to nap while it was still light. Otherwise he would have missed her stealthy exit.) The woman had known that the musician would do this. But why? Who was this girl? And who was the woman who was so interested in her?

He once again told himself that there was a lot more going on here than a simple case of adultery. Although the pharaoh had only accused and sentenced her for that crime, she had obviously done a lot more than that if the woman was so intent on keeping track of her whereabouts. But what?

"None of my business," he reminded himself as he began to pack up camp.

He had been hired simply to follow the girl for one week. That was all. It would be best for everyone if he just did his job and didn't ask any questions. He needed the money he was going to get for doing this. Why risk losing everything? He had to put his family first.

He began to pack up camp, but he was in no hurry to follow. Catching up with her would be easy. At such an early hour, there would be no other wagon tracks to confuse with hers.

She would not get far before he found her again.

((((())))))

"Raia, I'm scared," Nefer-Tina confessed as she was herded towards the entrance of the local temple of Bastet. "What if no one takes me? What if I'm seen? What if-"

"You're going to be just fine," he cut her off. "Try to relax. No one's looking for you here. Just in Memphis, remember?"

_If only I could believe you._

They were in Saqqara, a city within walking distance of Memphis. It was more likely than not that many people from Memphis came here often. If any of them recognized her...

They had come to the great necropolis because there was no other place in all of Egypt with as many temples. And it was in one of those temples that Nefer-Tina was going to become a boarder.

Raia had told her that her best course of action would be to become a boarder at a temple. A temple was the safest place for her to be until she had her baby. In exchange for some menial labor, she would be taken care of by the priestesses. They would provide her with food and shelter and medical care as long as she needed it. It was a very common practice for people in her financial situation. (Raia had been one himself after he had first left home. "Anything to escape my parents!" he had told her.) And when she was ready to look for work, the priestesses would be more than happy to help her find something.

Raia had chosen Saqqara for its variety of temples. There were temples dedicated to every deity imaginable. So if one temple was unable to accept her, there were plenty of others to pick from.

"You _will_ get into one," he had repeatedly assured her. "Temples never turn a person in need away if they can accommodate them. It's an unspoken rule. I think they have a monthly quota or something."

Raia had also claimed that it was highly unlikely that anyone would recognize her. People were looking for her to turn back up in Memphis. No one would think to check the temples of Saqqara.

"You're going to be perfectly safe," he had told her. "Then you and your baby can go live wherever you want."

Raia's first choice was the Temple of Bastet. The cat goddess was the patron of pregnant women, so it stood to reason that the priestesses would be trained in the art of midwifery. It would be the best place for her to be if they had room for her.

"Just let me do all the talking," Raia reminded her as they approached the doorway.

She nodded mutely, too nervous to speak.

Her original cover story remained the same but with some heavy modification from Raia. Her name was Karem and her husband had died before learning she was pregnant. But now instead of being a recent widow who had moved to a new city, she was a recent widow who had been robbed on her way to a new city. The robbery was to explain her lack of possessions.

Raia would be a traveler who had just happened to discover the widow in distress outside the city. He was just doing a good deed before resuming his journey home.

Raia guided her through the doorway where they were immediately greeted by a priestess.

Nefer-Tina took a deep breath as Raia began to speak...

((((())))))

Tia passionately kissed Ja-Kal goodbye before he left her to prepare for the hunting trip he was leaving on in the morning.

"Hurry back to me," she urged him aloud while silently praying for a week-long absence at the very least. She didn't want him coming back too soon and discovering that she had gone away herself. There would be too many questions she did not want to have to answer.

"I will, my love," he promised, his voice full of its customary sincerity. "I love you."

He gave her another kiss and then he was gone.

Tia waited until he disappeared down the street and then set immediately to work. She had a lot to do before she could leave in the morning for Saqqara.

Because that was where the whore, who was due to give birth any day now, was hiding.

It had taken all of her willpower not to laugh out loud when Wsir, the hunter she had hired to follow the slut (his wife should really learn not to complain about their financial situation so loudly), had told her the girl's location. Only Nefer-Tina would choose a hiding place within walking distance of Memphis. Impossible as it seemed, the whore continued to surprise Tia with her stupidity.

She longed to be finished with her once and for all.

Wsir had told her that he believed the girl had become a temple boarder. She had left her family's farm late at night in the company of a man, who had driven her to Saqqara. Once in the city, he had taken her to a temple, which only he had reemerged from. The girl had not appeared outside of the temple once for the duration of his stay. The only explanation he could think of was that she was staying at the temple.

Tia had readily agreed with his assessment. It made sense. The girl had no other place to go. A temple was the perfect haven for her. The priestesses would provide for her someplace to live with little or no questions asked. Nefer-Tina would try to stay there as long as possible.

Which made it that much easier for Tia to take her child from her.

It was pure luck that Amenhotep had picked the week of the slut's due date to send his hunters away on a trip. It saved her the hassle of having to tell Ja-Kal that she was going away herself. He would want to know everything before she left and after she came back, something she could not afford to ever tell him. (If he even had the slightest notion of what she was doing, he would leave her immediately.) This way she could leave and come back without him suspecting a thing. (Hunting trips usually lasted at least a week, if not slightly longer. She doubted she'd be gone even five days.)

Her plan was to go to the temple and tell the head priestess that Nefer-Tina was her sister. Unfortunately, her "dear sister" had a history of mental problems and was unfit to be a mother. She had a "tendency" to "forget things," like the fact that she was engaged to be married. She could not be allowed to keep her child under any circumstances. It was too dangerous for the poor innocent child!

Her "sister" could not be told of her presence either. They had never gotten along and things could turn ugly very quickly. The baby could become hurt! Better to keep her presence a secret, she would convince the priestess. She could quietly take the child away while her "sister" was too weak to argue. And knowing her "sister," she would quickly forget the baby anyway.

It was the perfect story and nothing the whore could do or say would be able to contradict it. The priestesses would believe the one who had the means of backing up her story...as well as making a sizable donation to the temple. Nothing would stop her from taking the child away. And then Nefer-Tina would be out of her life forever.

Satisfied that everything was going to work out exactly as planned, she began to pack some things for her short stay in Saqqara.

((((())))))

Nefer-Tina softly hummed to herself as she swept the floor of one of the many temple chambers. Sweeping was one of the only chores she was allowed to perform these days. Itekuyet, Sitin, and the other priestesses were adamant that she spend most of her times resting this late into her pregnancy, which made sense given how tired she'd been these last few months, but she felt guilty if she did not do her share of the work. Just because she was pregnant didn't mean she couldn't earn her keep.

Life in the temple was quiet and peaceful. She had been happy here, something she had never thought she'd be again after everything she had been through. It gave her hope for the future. Hope for herself and her child, whom she'd hold in her arms, according to Itekuyet, within days.

Days! She couldn't believe it, but it was true. She was only days away from having her baby. It was both exciting and frightening.

She owed everything to Raia. He had risked so much to help her and it had been his idea for her stay here. If only she could see him again, if only to thank him. But she knew she never would. It was too dangerous for him. Her old life had to remain behind her forever. All except for one small part of it.

Ja-Kal.

Ja-Kal was the one thing constantly on her mind other than her baby. She could not help herself. She loved him so much. If only she had been able to meet him, even for a moment...

She had begun fantasizing again about being married to him not long after she had settled into life at the temple. In it, her baby was his and they were so happy together. She dreamed of the life she wanted so desperately but would never have. Her fantasies were one of the reasons she felt so happy.

Suddenly she felt a sharp pain deep inside herself.

She stopped sweeping and placed a hand on her unbelievably large belly.

She had been feeling incredibly uncomfortable lately, especially when her baby decided that there was nothing more enjoyable than kicking his or her mother, but never before had she felt a pain. Was this normal?

Nefer-Tina became nervous. Her baby was due any day now. If something were to go wrong this close to the end...

She decided she had to tell Itekuyet immediately. As head priestess and the senior midwife, she would be able to tell Nefer-Tina whether or not this pain was normal.

As she went to lay her broom against the wall, she was shaken by another sharp pain.

But this time, it was accompanied by a strange sensation that was followed by the feeling of wetness between her legs.

She looked down to find a puddle on the floor as well as a large spot on her dress.

Both were tinged red.

_Oh gods! Oh gods! Oh gods!_

Terrified now, she began to call for help.

((((())))))

"I need you to push again for me, Karem," Itekuyet urged Nefer-Tina, using the name she had told everyone at the temple. "Can you do that?"

"I...don't...think..." Nefer-Tina barely managed, the pain overwhelming. "Oh, gods!"

"Easy, easy," Sitin soothed, rubbing her shoulders. "You're doing fine. This will all be over very soon. Just listen to Itekuyet. Push."

"No..." Nefer-Tina whimpered. "It...hurts..."

"I know, I know," Wenis sympathized, "but you do have to push now. Your baby is almost here. I can see the head."

"I...can't..." Nefer-Tina tearfully insisted. She was so tired, so weak. "I...can't..." She had never felt like this in her entire life. Who knew that giving birth would be such an ordeal? Unbelievably, she had been in labor for almost the entire day. She could see that it had gotten dark outside of her window. Would it ever end?

_It has to._ A realization suddenly set in. _Because it's the only way I'll ever hold my baby in my arms._

"Push!" Itekuyet ordered.

And Nefer-Tina obeyed without further protest, trying to banish the incredible pain from her mind. She would not complain anymore. She only wanted to hold her baby.

"Good. Very good," Itekuyet praised her. "I just need you to do that one or two more times. That's all. You can do it."

Nefer-Tina nodded weakly.

"Good girl," Itekuyet smiled.

"I think one more push will do it," Wenis reported from her position between Nefer-Tina's spread legs.

"Did you hear that, Karem?" Itekuyet asked. "Just one more. One more and your baby will be here."

She only nodded again, afraid to speak.

"You've done wonderfully," Sitin told her as she continued to massage her aching shoulders. "Now it's almost over."

"Get ready to push," Itekuyet warned.

Nefer-Tina gathered the last of her remaining strength as she felt the pain building up again.

"Wenis?" Itekuyet questioned.

"I'm ready," the priestess answered. "I think this last push will do it."

_Come to me, my baby._

"On my count," Itekuyet announced.

_My arms are waiting._

"One."

_At last I'll hold you._

"Two."

She squeezed her eyes shut against the pain. It was unbearable, but she would not give in to it. She would embrace it as it meant her baby would at last be in her arms.

"Three!"

Nefer-Tina pushed with everything she had and felt something pulled from within her at the same time.

Exhausted and still in pain, she collapsed on the birthing stool.

_I did it,_ she thought tiredly. _My little one is here at last._

And she smiled as her baby wailed his or her first cries.

But just as she was about to open her eyes and ask to hold her baby, she was suddenly overtaken by a new wave of pain.

She gasped, her eyes flying open.

_Oh gods!_

What was happening now? Was there something wrong with her?

"Easy, easy. It's just the afterbirth," Wenis explained. "Your labor isn't quite over yet. You have to push for again."

"I can't," she protested all of her strength drained, "I'm too tired."

"This is the last time," Sitin assured her. "I promise you."

Nodding weakly, Nefer-Tina pushed herself back into the birthing position.

"You truly have done wonderfully," Sitin continued, still rubbing her shoulders. "You should be proud of yourself."

The next contraction hit and she pushed once more, again feeling something leave her body.

"You can rest now, Karem," Sitin informed her gently. "It's finally over."

"I'll go dispose of this," Wenis announced standing up, the towels in her hands bloody. "Take care of her, Sitin."

"Yes, ma'am," Sitin said.

Sitin was one of the younger priestesses and Nefer-Tina thought of her as the closest friend she had made since coming to the temple.

"My baby?" she asked, suddenly noticing that she could no longer hear her baby's cries. She struggled to remain upright on the birthing stool. "Why can't I hear my baby?"

"Your baby is being cleaned up," Sitin promised. "It's perfectly healthy. You have nothing to worry about.

"Now it's time for you to get some rest," Sitin continued, coming into view for the first time in what felt like hours. "Let me help you into bed."

"When can I see my baby?"

"After you've rested."

"Why not now?" Nefer-Tina wanted to know. "I want to see my baby. Please."

She had waited so long for this day. She could not wait another moment to hold her baby.

"Please," she repeated.

"You need to get some sleep first," Sitin insisted, taking her by the arm. "Come to bed."

"But I want to see my baby now," Nefer-Tina countered. "Please, Sitin. Only for a second. Please."

"You're not strong enough," Sitin informed her as she pulled her to a standing position.

Nefer-Tina slumped against her, realizing that she was in fact very weak. But that didn't make a difference to her. She wanted to hold her baby.

"I don't care," she said as Sitin led her to her bed. "I want my baby now."

"In the morning," Sitin stated firmly. "After you've slept several hours. You need to regain your strength."

"No," Nefer-Tina protested. "I want my baby now. Please. Let me see my baby. Please."

"In the morning," Sitin repeated, helping her get under the blanket. "You need to sleep now. You've had a long day."

Nefer-Tina was getting frustrated. Why wouldn't Sitin let her see her baby? Yes, she was exhausted, but that didn't matter. All that mattered was holding her child. The child that she had carried within her for so long...

"Please," she tried again. "I want my baby."

"Close your eyes," Sitin ordered. "Get some sleep. You'll see you baby as soon as you wake up."

"Give me my baby!" she cried, tired of arguing. She wanted her baby. Why was Sitin keeping her from seeing her baby? "Why won't you let me see my baby?"

"Hush," Sitin scolded. "Go to sleep. You're overtired now. Get some rest."

"My baby! Give me my baby! Please!" Nefer-Tina pleaded.

And then she began to cry, her emotions a jumble.

"I'm sorry," Sitin murmured as she rushed out of the room.

"My baby!" Nefer-Tina called after her. "I want to see my baby!"

But Sitin did not come back. She was gone and Nefer-Tina was all alone, her baby who-knew-where.

She was hurt and confused. Why had Sitin, a woman who had been so good to her over the past several months, suddenly fled from the room without an explanation? Why wasn't she being allowed to see her baby? Why hadn't she even been told if it was a boy or a girl? It didn't make sense.

Not knowing what else to do, she continued to cry.

((((())))))

Tia smiled to herself as she listened to the whore's anguished cries. The sound was music to her ears. No one deserved to suffer more.

She turned to where the wet nurse was caring for the cause of the slut's misery. The baby boy was happily nursing, oblivious to his mother's pain in the next room. All he cared about was being fed.

Once again Tia thanked the gods that the child was a boy. Disposing of a girl would not have been pleasant. Unlike Arakh, she had no taste for killing. Once a victim was dead, it no longer suffered and where was the enjoyment in that?

Her mind then turned to her next task: getting the child to his father. Returning to Memphis was the easy part. The wet nurse would take care of the child until he was given to Arakh. The challenge would be convincing Irikara that her husband had an ounce of compassion for an abandoned baby.

That was the story Tia had finally convinced Arakh to use. Nothing else would work. Normal adoption involved both parents. The child would have to appear abandoned if he did not want Irikara questioning its origin. (Tia had a feeling Irikara wouldn't put stealing a baby past her husband. Which, in a sense, was exactly what they had done.)

Once the baby was placed into his father's care, her end of the deal was fulfilled. She could go back to concentrating on more important things, such as convincing Ja-Kal to marry her. She would never again need to spare the whore another thought.

The object of her hatred had finally quieted down. Tia figured she had at last succumbed to her exhaustion. The childbirth, from what she could tell, had been especially difficult.

_Goodbye, little whore. We _won't_ be meeting again._

((((())))))

Nefer-Tina sank to the ground in the cool alleyway, overwhelmed by a combination of sadness, hurt, and confusion. She once again gave into the tears.

Why had they taken her baby from her? Why had they thrown her out? What had she done wrong? She didn't understand how the priestesses could have gone from such kindness to this unimaginable cruelty in one day. It made no sense.

As she had aimlessly wandered the streets of Saqqara, she had gone over and over everything she had done since arriving at the temple. She had performed every task given to her and volunteered to do more. She had treated all the priestesses and other borders with respect. She had followed all of the rules. What had happened?

She could find nothing to explain their sudden hatred of her. Everyone had been so wonderful to her until that morning. She had even come to think of them as her family...

Where had she gone wrong?

The events of the morning had come as a shock to her. Itekuyet had woken her up and informed her that she had to leave before the sun set. No reason had been given no matter how hard Nefer-Tina had begged. The head priestess had only deposited a small bag of coins on the bed, repeated that she was to leave, and then left the room. Nefer-Tina hadn't even had a chance to ask about her baby.

Her baby.

Why had they taken her baby? Why? Her precious child that she had not even been allowed to see for even a second. What was the point? Why punish her in such a heartless way? What was their reasons?

Without her baby she felt as if a part of her had been ripped away. Her baby had been growing inside of her for nine months, and now, in less than a day, it had been taken from her. She felt empty and cold, an indescribable pain in her heart. The only family she had left was gone. She was truly alone.

_I didn't even get to see it._

What was she going to do now? She had nothing. No friends. No family. No place to live.

Nothing.

She forced herself to stop crying. She wasn't doing herself any good by sitting in an alley feeling sorry for herself. Better to wait until she was somewhere safe before giving in to her emotions again. Being out in the open like this was dangerous for her. As she well knew, to be recognized this close to Memphis would mea

She had to get off the street, or better yet, out of Saqqara altogether. But how? And where would she go?

Staying at another temple was out of the question. She feared a repeat of what had happened today. (But _why_ had it happened? What had she done?) So her only option was to find a place where she would have to pay for lodgings.

She opened the small bag of coins Itekuyet had left for her. The priestess hadn't given her much, just enough for perhaps a place to stay the night and maybe a little food. But it definitely wasn't enough to get her out of the city. To get that kind of money she would need to earn it.

But how? She had no marketable job skills other than her music, which she didn't dare perform. (That would draw too much attention to her, the very last thing she wanted.) Everything else Mama had taught her had been the skills of a mistress of the house and none of those would do her any good out in the world. What kind of job could she even hope to get?

Ironically, her greatest skill was the one forbidden to her. Chariots were where she excelled. Mehy had often told her that she was the best charioteer he had ever seen. If only women were allowed to race. Then she could just win the money...

_Wouldn't that be nice?_ she thought. Mehy had once mentioned that the prize money for winning a chariot race was rather large. There was no telling what someone could do with that kind of money. Perhaps even start a new life...

Her mind traveled back to happier times, when she had easily won race after race against the farmhands. Disguised as Gua, Pakhet's made-up young "male" cousin, she had fooled everyone and been allowed to let her passion reign free. No one had ever thought to question her identity.

No one had thought...

_No one_ had thought...

An idea came to her. A crazy idea, that if it worked, could lead her to her freedom. She'd never have to worry about anything again. She'd be safe and could at last lead as normal a life as possible.

One race. All she needed to do was win one race and she'd be free of this nightmare. She could start over, as she had been planning to do ever since...

Ever since...

The tears came again as she thought of the child that had been stolen from her.

_Later,_ she berated herself, wiping at her eyes. She had to pull herself together.

She refocused her mind on chariot racing and the prize money. The prize money that she would use to start over.

There were so many details to work out. She needed to buy a disguise. She needed a chariot and a horse team. She needed a _race._

From what she could tell, Saqqara itself did not have races. Which meant the nearest races were in Memphis.

The place from which she had been banished.

The place where, if she were caught, would lead to her death.

But it was a risk she had to take. At this point, she had no other choice. A chariot race was her only hope of survival.

Her mind made up, she rose to her feet and left the dark safety of the alleyway.

((((())))))

"Nefer! Are you up yet?" Kysen's voice called through the door. "If not, get there! You're gonna be late! And I mean it this time!"

Nefer-Tina bolted upright in bed.

"Oh no," she grumbled to herself. "Not again!"

As usual, it was her own fault. She had a tendency to lose track of time when she was practicing on the track. (In fact, she'd forget to eat if Kysen didn't forcibly remind her.) Consequently, by the time she thought about it it had gotten very late. And as a result she ended up oversleeping.

And oversleeping was a very bad idea on race days.

"Well? Are you alive in there?"

"I'm up!" she informed as she jumped to her feet and started scrambling to find her disguise. "And I'll be at the track before the race begins. Like I _always_ am."

"Yeah, yeah. Tell it to some one who cares," he shot back. "Keep this up and one day you really _are_ going to miss a race. And then where will your precious reputation be?"

"What is it with you and my so-called reputation?" she questioned as she started to bind her breasts as quickly as possible. It was an uncomfortable but necessary part of life as "Nefer," the male charioteer, whom she had been living as for almost an entire year.

"Because it's my reputation too," he reminded her. "Never forget that."

"As if you'd ever let me," she said with a smile.

Kysen's obsession with himself could be quite entertaining when she wasn't rushing to make a race. Although everything had to always be about him, he did everything in his power to make it seem like it was anything but. Of course he'd never admit to it. But that was part of what made working with him so enjoyable. (It was part of his "charm.") She doubted she could have found a better trainer if she had tried.

"Nefer's" teaming up with Kysen had been purely accidental. After arriving in Memphis in her quickly assembled disguise, Nefer-Tina had made her way to the racing stadium. Her plan had been to befriend a charioteer and use that friendship to eventually earn a chance to race. While not the best of plans, it was the only thing she had been able to come up with. But instead of a new friend, she had ended up with a trainer.

Kysen had been at the racetrack too, but for far different reasons. He had been looking for a new trainee since his last student had grown tired of the sport and had yet to win a race. ("A tragedy that I don't want to think about," Kysen had moaned to her many times.) Although he would deny it whenever Nefer-Tina questioned him, he had been searching for someone he could mold into a champion so he could share in the glory and earn the dreamed-about reputation of "trainer of champions".

Their paths had crossed when Kysen had decided that the "boy" was getting in his way and tried to chase "him" off. Nefer-Tina, however, had stood her ground and told him that she wasn't leaving until she had made a friend. (To her, it had been a life or death situation.) Kysen had found this hilarious and asked her why that was so important. So she had told him.

Kysen had immediately decided that this "boy" was exactly what he had been looking for and had made her a proposition. The "boy" wanted to race to win and Kysen was the only trainer "good enough" (his own words) to ensure that win. So Nefer-Tina, desperate for any chance at all to race, quickly accepted and a partnership had been born. And it was a partnership that had lived up to its promise. Nefer-Tina had become a champion racer and Kysen had earned himself the reputation he had only dreamed about.

Another product of the partnership had been Nefer-Tina's alias of "Nefer," an accident as well. She had been so overwhelmed by the fact that she was going to be able to race and win the money that she needed that he had caught her off guard when asking for her name. Of course, she had naturally started to say "Nefer-Tina" but had caught herself after uttering "Nefer." Unable to change it to "Gua," she had been stuck with "Nefer."

She had, of course, planned to leave Memphis after winning one race, but Kysen had begged her to enter another one. He had seemed so pathetically desperate that she had given in. (She had grown very fond of him in the short time she had worked with him. He was the kind of person that grew on you no matter how hard you fought against it.) And he begged her again after the second. And then the third. After the fifth consecutive win, she had finally given up trying to leave. Kysen had not wanted to let his "champion" go. (Though she was sure it had more to do with the fact that he enjoyed the companionship than the winning. They had by then become a family of sorts.) So, Memphis, for the second time in her life, became her new home.

And strangely enough, she discovered that she liked her new lifestyle. As Nefer, she was able to live out her dreams of chariot racing. It was more wonderful than she ever could have hoped. She was able to race and win. And win and win and win. She was the champion Mehy had always said she could be. Plus she had a new family in Kysen. She was, as hard as it had been to believe at first, happy again.

The first time she had realized that she was truly happy was when the Ja-Kal fantasies had returned. She had only been living as "Nefer" for three months when he had reappeared in her dreams. She had slept better that night that she had in months. They had not stopped since. And because of them, her love for him had only deepened...

However, it was not the easiest of ways to live. Every day she had to become someone else and that someone else happened to be "Nefer," the male charioteer. And pretending to be a man was one of the hardest things she had ever done.

Men were, both physically and emotionally, different from women. Nefer-Tina had to disguise everything that made her female, from her breasts to her natural tendency to openly express how she was feeling. She could not let her guard down for one second in fear of her true identity being discovered. When she interacted with people, she had to _be_ "Nefer."

Her biggest obstacle was hiding her monthly bleeding time. But she did it, and for almost a year, her secret had remained safe. Living as "Nefer" had become routine and didn't distract her from the happiness she had found at last.

"Okay, I'm gonna believe you this one last time," Kysen informed her just as she finished the tedious breast-binding process. "But if you're late-"

"I'll be there on time," she cut him off. "I swear on all of the gods' names."

"Just remember you said that when you arrive _after_ the race has started," Kysen stated matter-of-factly. "I'm going to go down and see if I can stall for time."

"You do that," Nefer-Tina told him, trying not to laugh.

"I will," he proclaimed. "And I know they'll listen to me."

"Of course," she agreed. "So go!"

"I'm going," he called. "I _hope_ to see you there _before_ the race."

"Yes, oh great pharaoh," she said as she pulled a shirt over her head.

She heard him still grumbling as he went to "stall for time."

She let out the laugh she had been suppressing out of consideration for his fragile ego as she finished getting into her disguise. The man was something else.

She gave herself a quick check in the mirror before rushing out of the door to try to beat Kysen to the stadium.

Then she had a race to win.

((((())))))

"Welcome to your new home, my love," Ja-Kal told Tia as he opened the door to the house that now belonged to both of them. He stepped aside and motioned for her to precede him inside. "I promise that you'll be happy here."

"I know I will," Tia smiled at him as she passed by, "because I've been the happiest woman in the entire world since you asked me to marry you."

It had taken over a year to happen since ridding herself of the whore, but Ja-Kal had finally proposed and Tia had known from that moment on that all of her dreams were going to come true. And today the first of them became reality.

"You have no idea how many times I prayed to the gods for the chance to ask you," he told her as he came in and shut the front door behind him. "But I didn't want to marry you before I could support a family. Thank you for waiting so long for me."

She turned around and came up to him. "How could I have done anything else? I love you." And then she kissed him.

She had told him the truth. She _had_ had no other choice but to wait for him. No other man could give her what Ja-Kal could, especially now that he was the captain of the Royal Hunt. And for that alone she loved him.

"I love you too," he said when the kiss ended. "More than words can express."

"Then show me without words," she encouraged, moving even closer against him. Now that they were married, Ja-Kal could make love to her, which she had wanted him to do for many years. (How she often cursed his honor.)

And he did...

((((())))))

Mehy knew that he shouldn't take the time to watch a race, but he could not help himself. He was off of the farm so rarely. And being in Memphis, home of the greatest chariot races in all of Egypt, was an opportunity that he could not afford to pass up. Rekhmire would just have to understand, which Mehy had no doubt he would.

Ever since the incident nearly two years ago, Rekhmire's behavior towards all of his employees had drastically changed. Before that one bad season, he had been a wonderful man to work for. Now he was almost too helpful and too understanding. He went out of his way to make things easier for everyone in his employ. Mehy had heard the other field workers complaining about it more than once. But they all stayed because they felt sorry for the man.

Rekhmire had become a shadow of his former self. He was guilt ridden over the loss of his only child, for which he vocally blamed himself, and his sadness consumed him. He always looked tired and ready to cry at a moment's notice. Mehy knew from Pakhet that Karem feared for her husband's well-being. Karem believed that he would never recover unless he was able to reconcile with Nefer-Tina.

_If only that were possible._

No one knew what had happened to Nefer-Tina. Pakhet had left her in a room asleep and the next morning she had been gone without a trace. No one had seen anything. There had been little hope of ever finding her.

Banishing the painful past from his mind, Mehy settled down into the best seat he could find, which wasn't very good at all. The stadium was more packed than he remembered, but it had been over twenty years since he had last been there. He could only guess that chariot races had become even more popular since the tragic accident that had prevented him from ever racing again. And Memphis was the best place to catch a race in the kingdom.

It was a well-known fact that only the best of the best were allowed to race more than once in Memphis. Everyone was allowed a shot, but unless a racer placed first, second, or third, they had little chance of ever racing at this stadium again. Consequently, the races were always intense.

He scanned the racers as they lined up at the starting line. He was too far away to see their faces, but he imagined they all wore the same determined expression in anticipation of barreling down the track. Every single one of them wanted to win, but only one could earn that honor.

He smiled as he remembered the days that _he_ had been the one to get that honor.

Suddenly a hush fell over the crowd.

Surprised by such an unusual occurrence at a chariot race (surely things couldn't have changed _that_ much in twenty years), he tried to see what had caused the crowd to grow quiet. The answer was even more of a surprise.

A latecomer was driving his chariot out onto the track. And, judging by both the crowd's reaction and his appearance, he wasn't the typical charioteer either.

The new charioteer was the smallest racer Mehy had ever seen. He also dressed unusually, wearing a shirt while all the others were bare-chested. Also unusual was the way that he had decorated his chariot.

He was definitely a favorite of the crowd, which meant he was good, _really_ good. The Memphis breed of spectators were notorious for being harsh on racers that were less than perfect. To be loved by them spoke volumes.

The charioteer waved to the crowd and they broke out in loud cheers.

Mehy decided to keep an eye on him during the race.

When things had calmed down, the starting gong was struck and the races leapt into action...

Causing Mehy's jaw to drop as the small charioteer made a maneuver that very few people knew about.

A move that had been created by his own trainer Taharqu, for whom he had been the last student.

And he himself had only had one...

The small charioteer appeared to start at the same pace as his opponents and then gradually reduced speed until he was in last place. Once there, he moved into the outermost lane on the track. The idea behind the technique was to save up the horses for the last lap while the other racers tired out their horses, and then you'd jump to full speed and cross into the innermost lane. It was a technique he had used, and improved, during his entire career and it had never failed to put him in first place.

How had this stranger learned it? Unless...

"That's impossible," he murmured to himself. "It can't be."

But as the racers entered the final lap and the little charioteer did exactly what he would have done, move for move, Mehy started to believe that it just _could_ be her.

And when "he" won, there was no more doubt.

"By the gods..."

The racer had to be Nefer-Tina.

((((())))))

"No," Nefer-Tina argued, "for the last time, I won't enter the race. I have my reasons."

"Reasons? Reasons! You and your reasons!" Kysen fumed. "You never tell me anything! All you ever say is that you have reasons. I'm sick of your reasons! Forget about your reasons! This is _the_ race! You have to be in it!"

"No," she countered. "I don't."

"You're killing me here, Nefer," Kysen complained. "This is what we've been working towards! You win this and you're set for life!"

She sighed and turned away from him, exasperated by his behavior. Kysen very rarely got angry, but she was _not_ going to give in to this. Entering the Nile Valley Championship was too dangerous for her.

The pharaoh himself was presiding over the race. If she were to win, she would be brought before him. And she had no doubt in her mind that he would immediately recognize the adulterous musician he had sentenced two years ago...

"I can't do it," she told him again. "I just can't."

"Why not?" he pressed. "Give me an actual reason, not that you _have_ reasons."

She didn't answer him. She _couldn't_ answer him.

"We both know that it'll be a breeze for you," he went on in a calmer tone. "No one can race like you, Nefer. You're the obvious winner. Why deny yourself such an easy win?"

She almost laughed at his tactic. As usual, he was trying to make it seem as if he only wanted her to race for herself when she knew that it was for him. Though she had a feeling it had to do with more than his reputation. There was something he wasn't telling her.

"I won't race," she reiterated. "You can't make me change my mind."

"I wouldn't bet on that," Kysen decided. "Because I know everything about you and that includes your dreams."

_You wish._

He was really getting desperate if he was resorting to bribery. What could possibly be so important about one race?

"Remember when we first met how you only wanted to enter one race?" he continued. "And how after you won it I begged you to enter a few more? What would you say if I promised you that after this one I'll never ask you to race again? How's that sound? What do you say? Huh? Isn't that a fair deal?"

She fought down the urge to snort at that. He seriously thought that she still wanted to give up racing? Obviously he didn't know as much as he claimed.

She finally faced him again. "Why is this so important to you?" she asked, giving in to her curiosity.

"That doesn't matter," he waved her off. "What matters is that you enter the race, you run the race, and you win the race. In that order, of course."

"You're avoiding my question."

"I have my reasons."

She had to smile at his use of her own tactic. "Is that so?"

"Look, Nefer," he said in a different tone. "You know I'm pretty good about not pushing you into things that make you uncomfortable. But this is not one of those things. _This_ is the single most important chariot race there is and if you're not in it this time, you won't get another chance for five years. And who's to say if you'll still be racing in five years? Now's your best shot. You're the best racer there is. No one can beat you.

"_No one,_" he emphasized.

"I wish you'd let this go," she sighed.

"Do it, Nefer. Win it," he urged. "Please?"

She stared at him in disbelief.

Please. He had said "please." Kysen _never_ said "please." If he was using "please," his reasons for wanting her in the race so badly were more serious than she had imagined. (Which was probably why he refused to share them with her.)

"You're not making this easy for me, are you?" she sighed again.

"That's the idea," Kysen explained. "Is it working?"

She realized that she really had no choice. This race meant a lot to Kysen, who had been so good to her. If it weren't for him, she wouldn't be where she was today.

She _owed_ him.

"Fine," she relented.

"I'll do it."

((((())))))

_Oh, gods, please let that be her,_ Rekhmire silently pleaded as his eyes followed the small charioteer around the track.

When Mehy had arrived with the news that he might have found Nefer-Tina, he had been overwhelmed by a combination of joy and dread. He had hurt her so badly on that horrible day. Would she ever be able to forgive him? Could he even forgive himself?

He had spent the last two years agonizing over his terrible mistake. He had single-handedly frightened off his only child, all because he had been unable to handle one bad harvest. What kind of a man did that make him? What kind of a _father?_

He and Karem had spent many sleepless nights wondering what had happened to her. (Karem's imaginings were far more positive then his own.) But never once had the possibility of her living as a man crossed either of their minds. It was an unimaginable concept. Yet, if Mehy was right, then that was exactly what she had been doing.

He had been shocked at Mehy's confession of secretly training her in the art of charioteering as a young girl. Shocked not because Mehy had done so, but because he had had no idea that the sport had even interested his daughter. And according to Mehy, she was an amazing charioteer, a natural-born champion.

Which was exactly what the figure below him appeared to be.

_Please be my precious child,_ he prayed as the small charioteer skillfully took the lead, leaving no doubt in his mind of who the winner would be.

The Nile Valley Championship, the greatest of all chariot races, was as good as won.

((((())))))

Nefer-Tina fled the track as soon as she could. The fact that she had won, actually _won,_ the most important chariot race in the country did not matter at the moment. All she cared about was disappearing from the stadium before the pharaoh saw her.

She made her way to the dressing area and quickly began to gather her things. She knew Kysen would not be happy with her at first for running away, but he'd get over it at soon as he was called to accept the award on her behalf. (He'd spend the rest of the day too distracted by his new status to remember that he was upset with her.)

She finished packing and, her bag secure over her shoulder, turned to sneak out the door...

Only to find her way blocked by the last person she ever thought she'd see again.

"Papa," she barely whispered before she could catch herself.

_What is he doing here?_

He looked very different from how she remembered. He seemed much older than he should, as if the years since she had last seen him had not been good to him. He was thinner and had an air of sadness around him. He was no longer the man who haunted her dreams. What had happened to him?

"C-can I-I h-help you?" she stammered, unable to hide her shock at both his presence and his appearance.

_Please don't recognize me._

As far as she knew, Papa had never had any interest in chariot racing. Had he become interested sometime during her absence? And if so, why had he entered the racers' private changing area? What did he want?

"Yes, you can, actually," he began with a hesitant smile. "I... I just wanted to...speak with you for a moment."

_Me?_ she thought, suddenly very afraid. Did that mean he knew? That he recognized her? But if that was true, why wasn't he angry?

She decided to keep pretending that she didn't know him.

"All right," she said as casually as she could manage, "but I can't stay long. I really have to go."

He nodded. "I understand. Your fans must be waiting."

Relief flooded through her as she realized that he really _didn't_ know who she was. As hard as it was to believe, he had come just as a fan.

"All I... What I want to say is..." Papa fumbled, trying to find the right words. "Congratulations on your spectacular win," he finally got out. "You are an..._incredible_ racer."

"T-thank you." Nefer-Tina was taken aback by the compliment. True, she had heard others say the same thing many times, but to hear _Papa_ say it...

Papa smiled more confidently now, seeming to relax somewhat. "Anyone would be..._honored_ to know you. More so to be..._related_ to you."

Nefer-Tina was confused by his words. These were not the kinds of things a fan normally said. Did he recognize her after all?

"Y-you're very kind," she said, returning the smile.

Papa then did something even stranger. He began to look around as if making sure they were alone. When he appeared satisfied that they were, he took a stop towards her, a new look on his face.

A pleading look.

"I-" he started to say.

"_There_ you are!" Kysen interrupted as he came running over. "I've been looking all over for you! The pharaoh is demanding to meet his new champion. He's ready to send the guards after you!"

Nefer-Tina knew she had visibly paled by the expressions on Kysen and Papa's faces.

"Hey? What's the matter, Nefer?" Kysen questioned. "You feeling all right? You suddenly don't look so good."

"Maybe he should lie down," Papa suggested, placing a surprisingly gentle hand on her shoulder.

_He really doesn't know me,_ she told herself. _I was stupid to think-_

"But he can't," Kysen informed him. "The _pharaoh_ wants to see him immediately. He said something about an announcement and that Nefer had to be there."

_Oh gods!_

She began to panic. What was she going to do?

"It's obvious he's not up to it," Papa argued. "The pharaoh will just have to understand."

"Are you out of your mind?" Kysen wanted to know. "This is the _pharaoh_ we're talking about. Nefer has got to see him _now._"

"I-I'm all right," she forced herself to say, struggling to keep the fear out of her voice. She had no choice. She _had_ to be seen by the pharaoh. "If the pharaoh calls, who am I to ignore him, right?"

"That's the spirit!" Kysen cheered. "Now let's go! You're holding everything up!"

"Wait," Papa called out. "Let me finish telling Nefer what I came to say."

"Make it quick," Kysen ordered.

Papa nodded and then he looked Nefer-Tina directly in the eyes. "I just wanted you to know. If I had a..._son,_ I'd want him to be exactly like _you._"

"That's very nice," Kysen commented as he started tugging on Nefer-Tina's arm. "Let's go, Nefer! Put some speed on!"

Nefer-Tina let him pull her. She was too numb to do anything else.

A son. Papa said he wanted a son.

She fought back the tears that threatened to come as the numbness turned to pain.

And not just any son either. A son like "Nefer." A winner, a champion.

Anything but the pathetic excuse for a daughter he had gotten stuck with.

A failure like her.

She could not tear her eyes away from Papa. As she was dragged out of the area, she watched as his expression changed again.

This time it was sad.

"I'm sorry," he called after her, a pleading tone in his voice. "I-"

But the rest of his words were cut off as Kysen led her out of the changing area.

((((())))))

As Rekhmire watched his daughter disappear, he knew that he had truly lost her forever.

And he knew that it was his own fault.

He could not believe what he had done. Without meaning to, he had once again pushed her away. How could he have been so careless? How could he have so easily forgotten her tendency to misunderstand what was said to her? His one and only chance to apologize and he had ruined it.

The guilt was indescribable.

Fighting back tears of his own, he left the empty area to return to his seat, the one place he had left to see his precious Nefer-Tina.

((((())))))

"Ah, so this is our wayward new champion," Pharaoh Amenhotep remarked as Nefer-Tina was pushed by Kysen to stand before him. "You, my boy, are quite difficult to locate."

She immediately dropped to the ground, bowing her head. "I-I'm sorry, your majesty. Please forgive me."

She was now more afraid that she'd give away her true identity than of the pharaoh discovering it on his own. (If Papa had not recognized her...) She was very shaken from her encounter with Papa. If the pharaoh was angry with her for not coming to him directly when summoned, she did not know if she could defend herself as "Nefer," who used humor to cover up "his" emotions. One "strange" reaction on her part could lead to her execution.

_Oh, gods, please let me get through this._

Much to her surprise, the pharaoh did not angrily accuse her of anything.

Instead, he only chuckled.

"There is no need," he informed her. "You are here now and that is all that matters."

"Yes, your highness," she said, keeping the immense relief out of her voice. Her identity was still safe.

"You may rise now," he told her.

Slowly and keeping her head bowed, she did as she was told. The longer she kept her face hidden, the less likely it would be that he would recognize her.

Amenhotep chuckled again. "It seems I make you nervous, young Nefer. I hope that this will not always be so."

"Yes, your highness," she replied though unsure of what he meant. After today she planned on never seeing him again.

"I would like for you to look at me," he continued.

_Oh, gods! Oh, gods!_

Panic set in as she realized she had no choice. The pharaoh wanted to see her face. It was more than likely that now he _would_ recognize her.

Unlike Papa, Amenhotep had a reason to remember her face. She was a known criminal, banished from his capital city. Papa probably hadn't recognized her because as far as he was concerned, she was no longer his daughter. It was the pharaoh's duty to recognize her.

She looked up and waited for the inevitable recognition.

Which didn't come.

Instead, the pharaoh said, "I am not all that intimidating, now am I?"

Nefer-Tina was too stunned to respond.

He hadn't recognized her after all.

She was still safe.

_Thanks the gods._

"Now listen well to what I am about to say," Amenhotep said. "I think you will find it very interesting."

She wondered what he meant by that.

He then stood up. "My people," he spoke loudly to the audience still seated in the stadium, "as you know my only son and heir, your beloved prince Rapses, has at last reached the age when his training to be your next pharaoh can begin. To insure that he is well-versed in all the necessary skills of leadership, I have decided that he shall have four tutors. One tutor to fill his mind with knowledge. Another to strengthen his body. A third to teach him strategy. The fourth will, when he is old enough, show him how to transport himself."

_Oh, no,_ Nefer-Tina thought as she suddenly realized what the pharaoh had meant about his not always making her nervous. _Gods, no._

"These tutors will also serve as his personal guardians," the pharaoh continued. "Protecting him will be their primary goal, even above teaching him. From now on, my son's life will be in their capable hands. That is why each one of them have been carefully chosen."

_Oh, gods. Oh, gods._

"Allow me to introduce you to one of them now," he went on. "A man who has proven his worth by his skillful win of today's race. His victory speaks of his dedication and perseverance. This alone shows that he will make an excellent guardian and tutor for my son."

Nefer-Tina closed her eyes and prepared herself for the inevitable.

"I, Amenhotep I, proudly present to you your champion and my son's fourth and final guardian: Nefer!"

As the crowd started cheering wildly, Nefer-Tina knew that her life was as good as over.

Becoming the prince's guardian-tutor meant that she would have to maintain her disguise for an entire day _every_ day. She doubted she could do it for very long. It was difficult as it was and her current lifestyle afforded her a great deal of privacy, privacy in which she could be herself with no fear of discovery. Once she was back in the palace, her privacy would almost cease to exist entirely.

And although the pharaoh himself had not recognized her, she had no doubt there were others in the palace who would. And not one of them would hesitate to turn her in.

But there was no backing out of this. The pharaoh himself has chosen her based on her performance in today's race, a race which she had not wanted to enter in the first place. (If only Kysen could know what he had done.) And one did not turn down a personal appointment made by the pharaoh.

She had no choice but to accept.

((((())))))

"I guess this is where we part ways," Kysen decided as he and Nefer-Tina approached the palace gates.

"I guess so," she agreed as she tried to keep the sadness out of her voice. "I wish we didn't have to."

The conversation between them had been strained all morning. Nefer-Tina knew Kysen was as sad about her appointment as she was. For two years, they had been a family. Now they were being forced apart by their pharaoh, probably never to see each other again.

"Well, you have no one to blame for this but yourself," he told her with a grin she knew was forced. "Who told you to be the best damn charioteer in the land?"

"I thought that was you," she retorted, trying but failing to return his grin. All she wanted to do was cry.

"I'm gonna miss you, kiddo," he finally admitted. "I've gotten, you know, used to having you around."

"I'm going to miss you too," she replied. _More than you'll ever know._ "

She resisted the urge to hug him, knowing that that was not something men did to each other. So instead she stuck her hand out.

He took her hand. "You're gonna make a great guardian," he informed her. "Rapses is in good hands."

"Thank you."

"Now get going already," he said, reverting back to his old self and giving her a small shove for good measure. "Your prince awaits."

"As my pharaoh commands," she smiled.

Kysen smiled back.

"Goodbye, Kysen. And thank you."

"Yeah, yeah," he grumbled.

He then turned and started to walk away.

Nefer-Tina forced herself to turn away from him. She didn't want to watch him go. Saying goodbye had been painful enough.

Taking a deep breath, she continued her journey towards the palace gates alone...

Only to have her heart freeze in her chest when she recognized the figure who was standing in front of them, most likely waiting for her.

Ja-Kal.

((((())))))

"Welcome," Ja-Kal greeted the frightened-looking boy who was approaching him. "You must be Nefer."

"Y-yes," the boy, Nefer, stammered as he came to a stop, visibly swallowing. (He appeared ready to pass out.) He immediately averted his eyes. "I-I am h-here as the pharaoh commands."

The boy's behavior took Ja-Kal completely by surprise. Although the pharaoh had told him that Nefer was extremely shy and nervous, he hadn't expected someone _this_ afraid. Nefer was acting as if he had received a punishment instead of a royal appointment.

_He'll never survive as a guardian,_ Ja-Kal realized.

It was obvious to Ja-Kal that Nefer would not be able to handle the duties that were to be assigned to him, which included spending a great deal of time with the six-year-old prince. Rapses was a typical young child, undisciplined and wild. He rarely sat still or did what he was told. Caring for him would require patience and the ability to command. From what he could see, Nefer lacked that all-important ability. The young prince would walk all over him, which would create problems for the entire team of guardians.

Ja-Kal could not help but feel sorry for the fearful boy. The pharaoh had only been looking at his skills as a charioteer when he had decided to appoint him as a guardian. (And, as winner of the Nile Valley Championship, he was without a doubt the best in the land.) But he had failed to take anything else into account. A mistake that would hold consequences for everyone involved.

Ja-Kal knew from experience that the pharaoh would never realize that he had been wrong to appoint Nefer as one of the prince's guardians. Amenhotep tended to make a decision and then never give it a second thought. And unless the pharaoh noticed the young charioteer's unfitness for the position, Nefer would remain a guardian. So Ja-Kal knew it was up to him as leader of the guardians to make sure Nefer successfully performed his duties. (The pharaoh had informed him of his role upon his appointment.) He would have to do all he could to help the boy reach his full potential. The prince's future depended on it.

"I am Ja-Kal," he introduced himself, making his voice as warm and welcoming as possible. "Like you, I am also to be one of the prince's guardians. The pharaoh has sent me to greet you and to be your guide. I am here to answer any questions you may have."

"T-thank you," Nefer replied, his eyes still on the ground. "I-I'll try not t-to ask t-too many."

_He's so afraid,_ Ja-Kal thought sympathetically. _I wish I knew how to make him feel more comfortable._

"A wise hunter always prepares himself before a hunt," he told him. It was a saying his father had often used. "Ask as many as you need. I will not mind."

Nefer only nodded.

"Please, if you'll follow me we can begin," Ja-Kal said and he started walking through the gates. After only taking a few steps, he glanced over his shoulder to see if Nefer was behind him.

Nefer was but he was trailing at a slight distance.

Ja-Kal again felt sorry for the boy. He was so terribly afraid of what was happening to him.

_If only I could help him._

He didn't know why, but he felt almost...compelled to help the young charioteer. There was just _something_ about the boy that made him want nothing more than to be his friend. Ja-Kal didn't understand why he felt this way about someone he had just met moments ago, but it was too powerful to ignore.

Then again, it was possible his feelings stemmed from his desire to be close to his brother again. The relationship between Arakh and himself had been strained for years, but now it was nonexistent. The final parting had occurred after the lion incident last year, which had resulted in Arakh losing his eye and Ja-Kal's promotion to captain of the Royal Hunt. If it weren't for Irikara, he doubted he'd even be allowed to see his own nephew, Kimas, who was now nearly two-years-old.

He returned his mind to the present. Desire for a brother or not, Nefer was still in desperate need of a friend. And he was determined to be that friend.

He passed through the palace doors and patiently waited for Nefer to catch up.

He took a moment to study the newcomer. Nefer was very small and slender, a trait he supposed was an asset in chariot racing though he was too unfamiliar with the sport to be sure. His face was very young and made Ja-Kal wonder if he had lied to the pharaoh about his age. His features were, truthfully, very feminine and rather...pretty. Ja-Kal had a feeling that Nefer had been mistreated in the past for his appearance, which could account for his fearful nature.

When Nefer arrived, he asked, "Would you prefer to see your quarters before or after I give you a tour of the palace?"

"M-my quarters first, please," Nefer answered, finally meeting his gaze. "I'd like to lie down for a little while, if that's all right. I don't think I'm up for a tour today."

"Of course it is all right," Ja-Kal smiled. "Perhaps tomorrow then. But you will need to be familiar with the palace before you start your duties."

"I-I understand," Nefer nodded.

"This way then," Ja-Kal said, motioning for him to follow.

He headed towards the hallway that would bring them to Nefer's quarters. Unfortunately, the palace was currently occupied at almost full capacity, so the only available chambers were in the rear of the complex. Nefer would have to travel a great distance every day to and from his quarters. He hoped the boy would not mind too much.

The two of them walked on in silence since conversation was impossible with Nefer behind him.

Up ahead of them, Ja-Kal noticed someone step out into the hallway. As the person approached, Ja-Kal recognized her as Selkis, the head matron of the musicians. He had met her several times since his promotion to captain of the Royal Hunt. The pharaoh had invited him and Tia to attend several private concerts and Selkis had been at each, watching over her charges. He had had the pleasure of conversing with her while Tia had wandered off to talk to her then-friend Tabes, whom he had not been fond of. (Interestingly enough, Selkis had not liked her either.) He had been glad when she had recently married and left the palace.

He gave Selkis a nod of greeting as they passed each other, which Selkis returned. He did not expect her to acknowledge Nefer. She did not openly display her friendly nature except to those who knew her.

But, to his surprise, he heard a voice murmur something even his sharp ears could not decipher. He stopped and turned around to see Selkis and Nefer staring at each other. Nefer looked more fearful than before if that was even possible while Selkis seemed stunned.

As he watched, more words were spoken in whispered tones that resulted in Nefer violently shaking his head "no." Then as quickly as the encounter had began, it was over and Nefer and Selkis continued on their separate ways.

Ja-Kal waited for Nefer to catch up. "Is everything all right?" he asked, wondering what had just happened.

"Y-yes," Nefer replied in his now-familiar nervous stammer. "S-she thought I was someone she knew. B-but I set her straight. I've never seen her before in my life."

"I'm sorry you didn't know her," Ja-Kal said truthfully. "It would have been nice for you if you had a friend here."

Nefer shrugged. "I'm used to it. I've never had many friends."

This was the most Nefer had opened up to him yet. It gave him an idea.

"I'd like to be your friend," he offered.

Nefer just stared at him, a look of surprise and disbelief on his face. "Really? You... You'd want that?"

"Why wouldn't I?" he replied. "You seem like a nice person. And I could always use another friend. There's no need for you to be alone here."

Nefer seemed completely shocked and overwhelmed by his offer. "I... I don't know... I don't know what to say."

"You don't need to say anything," he smiled at the boy. "Just accept my friendship. I really want you to."

"I... I... T-thank you," Nefer finally managed. "You... It means a lot to me."

"You're welcome," Ja-Kal said. "Now, come. We still have a way to go before we reach your quarters."

He started walking again and, when he checked over his shoulder, Nefer was following much closer this time.

He smiled to himself, pleased that he had made progress with his new teammate...

And friend.

((((())))))

From the doorway that she had hidden herself in, Selkis watched as Nefer-Tina walked away with the young captain of the Royal Hunt.

What was she doing back here? And why was she disguised as a man? What was going on?

Selkis knew that Nefer-Tina was too fragile a girl to do something this brazen on her own. (Her expression had been terrified when Selkis had tried to talk to her.) So what was she doing here? Where was her child? What had happened to her since she had been banished two years ago?

She had not been surprised by Nefer-Tina's denial of her own identity although she would have been lying if she had not admitted being hurt by it. (Perhaps if they had been alone in the hallway...) But she had understood the girl's reasons. The man that she was with, Ja-Kal, would not have hesitated to turn her in if he knew who she was. (He was a good man, perhaps _too_ good at times, but he was stubborn and difficult to reason with.) He was the type who followed the law to the letter. It was no secret that his honor was why the pharaoh held him in such high regard.

But _why_ was she with him? What was she doing in the palace? Selkis knew that Nefer-Tina had to be aware of the danger she was in just by being here. (Her look of terror had spoken volumes.) It was obvious that she had not had a choice in the matter. So what was going on?

To make things worse, her disguise was very poor. Anyone who knew her would instantly recognize her face. It was obviously sheer luck that no one had recognized yet. And it was even luckier that people _believed_ that she was a man, though Selkis could not understand why. Nefer-Tina was a very beautiful girl, too beautiful to pass for a man in her opinion. She had been very fortunate so far.

Selkis prayed that Nefer-Tina's luck would hold out until she got through whatever it was she was involved in. Perhaps when she was finished, Selkis would be able to find her and talk to her in private. She wanted to know everything that had happened since she had last seen her.

But until then, she would act as if she did not know her. Whoever Nefer-Tina was pretending to be would be the person she addressed. Her true identity had to remain hidden at all costs.

The girl's life depended on it.

((((())))))

As Nefer-Tina shut the door of her personal quarters behind her, she collapsed against it, relief washing over her.

She had survived one more day. She had convinced everyone she had met that she was "Nefer" and no one had questioned it, including the three other guardians of the prince. It was miraculous, an act of the gods. But would her luck last? _Could_ it?

She already had had two close calls. The first had been with Selkis almost immediately after her arrival. She had so badly wanted to talk to her, to fall into her comforting arms and tell her everything, but she had known it was impossible. Not with _Ja-Kal_ there. Selkis had unquestionably recognized her, but thank the gods she had understood her silent pleas to pretend she didn't. Maybe one day, before she was inevitably caught, she could go to her and talk to her, confess everything...

The second had been the worst.

Tia.

It had been in the throne room for the guardian's formal presentation to the court. Tia had been standing in the front of the room. The moment their eyes had met, Nefer-Tina had _known_ that she had been recognized. And she had immediately become deathly afraid.

But, much to her shock, Tia had done nothing other than glare at Nefer-Tina with the familiar hatred during the entire presentation. And that had scared Nefer-Tina more than anything Tia _could_ have done, such as reveal her identity in front of the entire court. In front of _Ja-Kal_... It had meant that she had been planning something _much_ worse...

And she had. After the formal announcement had been made, Tia had walked straight over to Ja-Kal and, in a scene that she had forced Nefer-Tina to witness more times than she cared to remember, kissed him passionately. It had taken all of Nefer-Tina's self control not to react. Then she had simply left the throne room, leaving Nefer-Tina with the impression that the torture had only just begun...

She shook the thought away and instead focused on the only thing that mattered: Ja-Kal.

She had finally met him today. The man she had loved from afar for so long. And he was more wonderful than she had ever imagined.

Ja-Kal was amazing. He was incredibly nice and generous, offering his friendship to a total stranger without a second thought. She couldn't have loved him any more if she tried. He was perfect in every sense of the word.

And she would be able to spend every day with him from now on. (At least, she would until she was caught...) It was thrilling and devastating at the same time. Thrilling, because she would at last get to know the man she had only dreamed about. And devastating because she knew he still could never be hers.

Especially now that he was married...

To Tia.

She had found out when she asked him about the woman who had kissed him. He had been walking her back to her quarters when she had casually brought it into the conversation. And he had told her, his voice full of the love she had always wanted to belong to her.

She hadn't been surprised. After all, Tia had always said that he would marry her. And there had never been any reason to doubt that he would. He didn't know what Tia was really like. And he loved her. Very much.

It had hurt her to listen to him talk about his wife, his love. He had spoken about her in the way she had always dreamed he'd speak about her. She had fought back tears at his words. Words of love and pride and unimaginable happiness.

Words that no man would ever speak to her or about her. Because as far as the outside world was concerned, she was "Nefer," the male charioteer. A man sworn to protect Prince Rapses and teach him in the years to come. A man who would also serve as Royal Charioteer. A man with no future ahead of him the moment it was discovered "he" was a she.

She sighed and walked into the room that would serve as her home until that dreaded day came.

It was much larger than the small chamber that she have lived in as a palace musician. It was even larger than the small apartment she had rented as "Nefer." It would make the perfect sanctuary where she could retreat and become Nefer-Tina again.

She didn't know how much time she had left, but she was determined to make the most of it. She finally had the chance to get to know the man she loved more than life itself and that alone was worth the risk of discovery.

She then began to unpack her things, officially beginning her new life as Royal Charioteer and guardian of the prince...

((((())))))

Nefer-Tina yawned as she regained awareness from a semi-restful night of sleep. She stretched and then slowly sat up in bed.

The memory-dream had continued as she had known it would. They always did. But least this time it had ended at a decent part: the day she had met Ja-Kal.

At the thought of her husband, she looked to his side of the bed, only to find him gone, as she'd known he'd be. He very rarely slept late, even on days where he didn't have to go to work.

_Unlike me,_ she mused as she glanced at the bedside clock.

It was only after eight, which wasn't bad considering her interrupted sleep.

She pushed back the blanket and got out of the bed. Standing up, she stretched again and then shivered at the chill in the air despite the heat pumping throughout the house. Wanting to cover her naked body with something warm, she started searching the floor for her discarded robe.

As she found and retrieved it, she once again wondered why she even bothered dressing for bed. She and Ja-Kal made love practically every night.

She smiled at the thought, remembering their lovemaking of only a few hours ago, their second coupling of the night. The memories had reached a particularly painful section that had jarred her awake and she had needed the kind of physical comforting that only Ja-Kal could give her. Her husband had obliged her as he always did. (She loved him so much.)

She put the robe on and tied it at the waist as she walked over to the window. Outside, the storm had ended but had left pure whiteness in its wake. Everything was covered with snow, especially the road. No one was going anywhere today.

She then started to leave the bedroom to find Ja-Kal.

On her way out, the two sarcophagi leaning against the far wall caught the corner of her eye, reminding her that it was almost time for their mandatory monthly recharge. (Ja-Kal's orders, of course.) Although she understood the need for the four of them to maintain their ability to call their armor, she resented having to give up her comfortable bed for even that one night. (And, by default, the warmth of Ja-Kal's arms.) She had gotten very spoiled by living as a normal human.

She entered the hallway and immediately heard Ja-Kal's voice floating up the stairs, letting her know that he was on the phone.

_I wonder who he's talking to._

There were so many possibilities. Her husband was a busy man with many responsibilities, both recent and ancient. How he was able to handle it all, she would never know.

"I know," he was saying to the person at the other end of the line, "but there's nothing you can do about it. Just try to ignore him."

As she descended the stairs, she tried to identify the caller.

"I understand," he went on, "but you're going to have to. If you try to talk to him, it will only make things worse. You know that."

_What in the world?_

She reached the first floor and was immediately greeted by Kahti. The sacred cat rubbed against her legs, purring loudly.

She bent down and pet her, eliciting an even louder purr.

She smiled. Kahti spent more time here than with Presley these days. Apparently the sixteen-year-old had stopped paying much attention to her. However she still slept in his room every night without fail. She would not abandon her duty to her prince even if her prince had all but abandoned her.

"Good girl," Nefer-Tina said as she gave Kahti one last stroke before standing up.

Ja-Kal was laughing at something said to him as she entered the kitchen. "Didn't I tell you he would?" he said to the still-unidentified person. "You won't see him for hours so don't worry."

He was sitting at the table with the cordless phone. The newspaper was laid out in front of him and an empty plate had been pushed to the side. He had evidently been up for a while.

She walked over to him and kissed him on the top of his head.

He looked up at her and smiled. He then slid out from beneath the table and gestured for her to sit on his lap.

She accepted the invitation and his free arm immediately wrapped itself around her waist.

"I don't know what good it will do, but I'll try to talk to him when we come over later," he spoke into the phone. "You know as well as I do that he doesn't listen to me anymore."

Nefer-Tina mouthed "who are you talking to?" and he sent back "Amanda."

"Ah," she silently acknowledged.

_That_ explained everything.

Ever since he had entered high school last year, Presley had turned into, for lack of a better word, a complete monster. He no longer listened to any of his guardians or, for that matter, his own mother. He did what he wanted, when he wanted, only sometimes letting anyone know about it. And now that he was driving...

Nefer-Tina shuddered at the thought. He was more reckless than she had ever been. (Thank the gods Rath had been observant enough, for once, to notice _that._)

In her opinion, he was worse than Prince Rapses had been as a very little boy and _he_ had been pretty bad.

From what she had gathered from listening to Ja-Kal's side of the conversation, Presley had been ranting about something and Amanda not known what to do about it. Thankfully, he had finally gotten bored and retreated to his room. If she had a guess, she'd bet everything that Presley had been carrying on about having to miss school.

Last year, in a shocking development that had taken all the adults who knew him by surprise, Presley had suddenly decided that he loved school. And that had been when all the trouble started.

Presley, or "Chris Butler," as he was publicly known, had managed to become the most popular kid in school. He had a group of followers, who, in Presley's own words, "worshipped the ground" he walked on. They did whatever he told them to, no matter how ridiculous. He also went through girlfriends at the same rate that Armon went through food. No one ever knew who he was going to show up with when he announced that he was bringing one home.

He was also the _worst behaved_ student in the entire school. The entire faculty couldn't stand the obnoxious teen. (Rath, who was student teaching there, had happily passed along the teaching staff's opinions.) He was disruptive in class and pushed all the rules to their limits. The only reason that he hadn't been expelled was that he was so smart and maintained a straight-A average, an amazing feat considering how little time he spent on his schoolwork.

"We'll see you later then," Ja-Kal was telling Amanda. "Enjoy the quiet while it lasts." Another pause as she made a comment. "Okay, you too. Goodbye."

He pressed the end button and heaved a sigh.

"And he used to be so sweet," Nefer-Tina quipped.

Ja-Kal put down the phone and shifted all of his attention to her. His newly freed arm joined the first one around her waist.

"Good morning, my love," he officially greeted her.

"Good morning," she smiled back.

He kissed her. "Are you feeling better?"

She nodded. "Much."

"Was your sleep restful?"

"Yes," she told him. "Thanks to you."

He smiled and kissed her again. "How about your dreams? Were they pleasant?"

She didn't answer right away, unsure of how to tell him that the memories had continued.

"It was the same one," he concluded when she didn't say anything. "Wasn't it?"

"Yes," she verified.

His arms immediately tightened around her.

"My poor love," he murmured. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't be," she assured him. "It ended in a good place."

"How is that possible?"

"It ended the day I met you," she informed him. "As I said, a good place." She then gave him a deep kiss to try to ease his concerns. "A _very_ good place."

"I wish all of your memories could be pleasant," he sighed. "I hate that you suffered so much in the past. You deserved so much better. If only I'd..."

She knew she had to change the course of the conversation. Ja-Kal was starting to blame himself again.

"I don't want to talk about the past anymore," she informed him as she leaned against him. "All I care about right now is being in your arms. I could stay there forever."

He began to stroke her hair and back. "I love you so much. You're everything to me, my beautiful, beautiful wife. My Nefer-Tina."

"I love you too," she breathed. "You're my entire world."

He kissed the top of her head. "As you are mine."

She maneuvered so she could look into his face. Without another word, she leaned in to kiss him passionately.

He kissed her back, deepening the kiss and pulling her closer against him.

When the kiss ended, she asked, "What are you planning to do today?"

He reached up and brushed away a stray hair from her face. "I haven't given it much thought. I wanted to wait until you were up before deciding on anything."

"Not that there's really much we _can_ do," she pointed out. "We're snowed in and everything's closed."

"Very true," he agreed. "That doesn't leave us with many choices, does it?"

"No," she smiled, "but I seem to recall that last time we found something we both agreed on."

He returned her smile. "Not that we save it only for snow days."

She laughed, glad to see that his emotional turmoil over her past had faded. "Or anythingded. "Or anything, for that matter."

"What can I say? You are insatiable," he teased.

"And you're not?" she shot back. "It takes two, remember?"

"Vividly," he assured her. "And keeping that in mind, may I suggest that you have some breakfast before we begin. I predict that you're going to need all of your strength."

She cocked an eyebrow. "Is that a threat?"

"Maybe."

She sighed dramatically. "And here I was thinking that you were the kindest, most considerate man in the world."

"Which I am," he mock-defended himself. "Just not today."

"And if I refuse to cooperate?"

Ja-Kal said nothing. Instead, without warning, he got to his feet with her still in his arms.

She squealed in surprise. "Ja-Kal!"

He laughed and gently placed her back onto her feet.

"Consider that a preview of what will happen if you disobey me further."

"Have I mentioned lately that you suck?"

"Far too often, my love," he informed her.

"Dang."

He gave another small laugh and then kissed her deeply.

Nefer-Tina kissed him back, enjoying every second of their playful banter. It was a part of their special relationship. A relationship she had waited what seemed like lifetimes to have. And now it was finally hers.

Forever.

The kiss ended and she once again told him how much she loved him before kissing him anew.

_ ** The End **_


End file.
